Move to Hike Pay of Soldiers, Cops Upsets Underpaid Teachers

MANILA — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), the country’s largest organization of teachers, denounced on Wednesday a proposed public-sector wage-hike bill pending in the House of Representatives that will favor military and uniformed personnel over employees in the civilian bureaucracy.

According to ACT national chairman Antonio Tinio, House Joint Resolution No. 24 will grant higher pay increases to military and police personnel compared to professionals in the civilian bureaucracy, such as teachers, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and doctors.

The resolution was drafted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Civil Service Commission and was filed by Speaker Prospero Nograles on Sept. 16, 2008.

Tinio said Malacañang imposed a wage freeze on civilian personnel from 2001 to 2007 but during the same period it substantially upgraded the salaries and benefits of military and police personnel.

“While we do not begrudge military and police personnel the pay increases that will be granted them, we do resent the fact that the Arroyo administration has consistently focused on upgrading the pay of uniformed personnel while neglecting to do the same for the civilian bureaucracy,” Tinio said.

ACT revealed that DBM officials had proposed that a Police Officer I or private will receive a total monthly compensation of 19,800 pesos; a cadet in the Philippine National Police Academy will receive 25,140 pesos; and a second lieutenant, 34,218 pesos. On the other hand, a Teacher I or Nurse I will receive 20,549 pesos; an Accountant I will receive 21,940 pesos; a doctor or lawyer (Medical Officer I or Attorney I) will receive 28,878 pesos.

“In this proposal, a cadet in the PNPA will be paid 22 percent higher than a public school teacher. In fact, the Cadet will have the same basic salary as an Associate Professor I in our state universities and colleges. That’s a tenured Ph.D. holder sharing the same pay grade as a plebe in the academy. Is that fair to professionals in the civilian bureaucracy?” explained Tinio.

During a march of 5,000 public school teachers to Congress, Tinio appealed to the members of the House, particularly Speaker Nograles and Committee on Appropriations chairman Junie Cua, “to heed our call for fairness and uplift the pay and status of teachers and other professionals in the civilian bureaucracy.”

Teachers from Quezon City, Manila, Caloocan, and other cities of Metro Manila, as well as the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Tarlac, participated in the march, demanding a 9,000-peso increase in the total compensation of teachers from the current 14,026 pesos to 23,026 pesos.

“This march signals our determination to carry on this struggle for decent salaries for teachers and other professionals in government.” said Tinio.

Representative Luz Ilagan of Gabriela Women’s Party also joined the event.

Ilagan, together with Representatives Liza Maza (Gabriela), Rafael Mariano (Anakpawis), Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casino (Bayan Muna), authored House Bill 4734 or an “Act providing additional compensation for public school teachers”.

The bill was consolidated with the Salary Standardization Law III (SSL3) which will give teachers a mere 4,645-peso increase or a basic salary of 16,671 pesos. This, according to Ilagan, is not enough, since the family living wage is 27,510 pesos.

“Our teachers’ request for additional compensation has been painfully snubbed by the Arroyo government for years. Now, they are adding insult to injury by proposing to raise the military and police personnel’s salaries far higher than the teachers,” Ilagan said.

“If the SSL3 is signed into law, teachers will suffer from a gap of 10,839 pesos,” she stressed.

Similar protests were held simultaneously in Cebu City and Koronadal City.

More than 500 teachers marched to the Round Ball in Koronadal City, where they held a rally and candlelighting ceremony in support of the call for a 9,000-peso increase in the salaries of teachers. (pinoypress.net)