Leonardia urged to grant add’l benefits to public school teachers
BACOLOD CITY — Sangguniang Panlungsod Member Wilson Gamboa Jr. recently passed a resolution requesting Mayor Evelio Leonardia to grant additional financial benefit and incentives to all public school teachers in the division of Bacolod City.
Gamboa said that the compensation of the public school teachers set by the National Wages and Productivity Commission of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is known to be way below the poverty level and could not cope with the rising standard cost of living which is at P911.00 per day.
“The teaching profession is universally considered as the noblest profession where teachers are tasked to educate the Filipino children and youth through enhancement of skills inculcating knowledge and molding values of love of country and genuine service to the people,” Gamboa said.
He emphasized that the increase in the basic salaries of teachers last year, was not adequate to meet the ever increasing prices of basic commodities that are necessary to sustain a decent and standard life for teachers.
As stated in the resolution, the public school teachers are in the forefront in the delivery of quality education in Bacolod City, and are considered as the uncomplaining workhorses in the clean and credible national and local election and other matters which are not necessarily related with their teaching functions, such as Charter Day Celebration activities, Alay Lakad. among others.
Gamboa further stressed that other highly urbanized cities in Metro Manila and other cities in the country are giving P1,500.00–P3,000 to public school teachers in their jurisdiction as a matter of giving high respect and concern to the teaching profession and their rights while our city government maintained the total P1,000.00 for the Emergency Cost of Living Allowance (ECOLA) for the past five (5) years now.
He added that it is time to give teachers the education and support needed to teach children to the high standards of education to meet challenges of the next century.
“As educators that take an active role in reforming and restructuring the schools believing that they got not only the opportunity to make a difference, but also that what they do by itself already makes a difference in the lives of the students,” Gamboa added.
Gamboa clarified that the Association of Classroom Teachers–Bacolod (ACTBA) requested the City Mayor to grant the additional supplemental benefit to be sourced out from the General Fund of the City Mayor.
