Grant Of P2,000 Teachers’ Monthly Allowance Pushed

With face-to-face classes going into full swing, two lawmakers have asked the House of Representatives to approve the grant of a monthly allowance of P2,000 for all public school teachers.

Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte and Benguet Rep. Eric Yap filed House Bill No. 3543, saying the salaries being given to teachers “are not commensurate to the sacrifices they make in helping shape the future of the country’s youth.”

They said the allowance should be tax exempt and cover teachers’ monthly expenses for their teaching supplies and materials.

“Teachers serve as the nation’s modern-day heroes – tirelessly providing at par education to the youth and honing them to become valuable members of society,” they noted.

The lawmakers such allowance, if approved, would ease the financial burden mentors face amid rising prices of basic commodities, including teaching supplies.

Under the measure, the cash allowance covers the purchase of both “tangible and intangible” teaching supplies and materials for the implementation or conduct of various learning delivery modalities “within the school year.”

The funding for the allowance shall be charged against the annual budget of the Department of Education under the General Appropriations Act, the bill states.

Currently, teachers get the so-called “chalk allowance” based on the provision indicated in the national budget.

The lawmakers underscored that as full in-person classes are expected to start by November in all public and private schools, government teachers “will have to cope with even more expenses to carry out their responsibilities.”