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Government deaf to employees, teachers’ call for a salary hike and higher educ budget

BAGUIO CITY (Jan. 28) — For five years now, teachers and government employees have persistently called for a P3,000 across-the-board salary increase but the government has remained deaf to their demand.

Today, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Confederation for the Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), together with other militant organizations here held a press conference to reiterate their call for a salary increase, higher education budget and priority in budget allocation to the education sector. The said activity is part of the nationally- coordinated day of action to push their overdue demands.

COURAGE-Cordillera Vice chairperson Ferdie Caramto criticized Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for failing to grant the government employees’ five year old demand for a salary increase. He said the last salary increase for the public sector was the 5% increase granted during the term of former President Joseph Estrada in 2000.

Caramto also deplored the Arroyo government’s granting “selective increases” to the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and the military intelligence agency. He stressed that they are not against the said salary increase, however, he pointed out that the government should have increased the salaries of all government employees and not certain sectors only.

Likewise, Caramto lamented that the cost of living continues to soar given the price hike of basic commodities. He said that in 2004, the government pegged the monthly cost of living at P17,820 from P15,975.90 in 2002. A lowly employee’s gross monthly income remains at P5,000, not to mention the mandatory deductions like GSIS and PAG-IBIG.

Caramto encouraged all sectors to support House Bill 1064, filed by the representatives of Anakpawis, Bayan Muna and Gabriela Women’s Party pushing for the approval of the P 3,000 across the board salary increase.

On the other hand, ACT Chairperson Dr. Erlinda Palaganas, PhD reiterated that the education system is not getting any better. She said that the education budget is diminishing and with this is the continuing and disturbing lack of teachers, chairs, books and other facilities. She warned that unless the government addresses the budget problem, the quality of education will continue to deteriorate.

Palaganas challenged the government to seriously review the automatic appropriation of 30% of the national budget for debt services. She reminded that the said percentage is for the payment of the principal alone and that almost 75% of the budget goes to debt services if appropriations for the payment of the principal and the interests are totalled. “If the government would re-channel the funds allocated for debt servicing, there would be enough to cover for the economic deficits,” Palaganas said.

She further said that teachers perform a key role in advancing the quality of education but their efficiency suffers if they do not have a living wage. In 2004, a teacher’s monthly basic pay was P9,939 in contrast to the P17,000 plus cost of living projected by the government.

Palaganas disclosed that after all the mandatory and loan deductions, the teacher’s average take-home pay is P4,000 only. Given this meager salary, teachers are even compelled to buy their own teaching paraphernalia like chalk and manila paper because the budget allotment is not enough to provide the said teaching needs. “In reality the P3,000 salary increase we are asking for is not enough to augment the almost P8,000 salary gap but we are more than happy if the government would grant it,” Palaganas declared.

Meanwhile, teachers from the Baguio City National High School (BCNHS) wore heart pins printed with their call for a P3,000 across the board salary increase and higher education budget as a sign of support to the said national day of action. # Kim N. Quitasol for NORDIS

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