Legarda Provides for Additional Allowance on World Teachers’ Day

To highlight the value of teachers and the essential role they play in the development of the youth and society, Deputy Speaker and Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda sponsored the allocation of additional P800 million under the budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) for the year 2019.

Legarda, former Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, introduced the amendment as a special allowance to public school teachers and said that the allocation will be given on World Teachers’ Day on October 5 as an incentive or honorarium. Each teacher will receive P1,000.

“We cannot overemphasize the important role of our teachers. They are our unsung heroes who dedicate their lives to mold the minds of the Filipino youth. They also do other duties for our country by assisting during the elections and aid the Philippine Statistics Authority in gathering data from households across the country, among others,” said Legarda.

Based on DepEd data, there are 847,467 teachers currently employed under the Department.

“We must advance the social, economic, and professional status of our teachers, who face day-to-day challenges in our education system. It is only fair that the men and women behind our successes receive the benefits and incentives they deserve,” she added.

“I am happy to note that DepEd and the Department of Budget of Management have adopted this amendment as part of the proposed budget for next year.  Henceforth, we will ensure that teachers should expect to receive this special allowance yearly.  We will also endeavor to work on extending similar allowance to non-teaching personnel and other related positions in the public education system in the future,” Legarda added.

In previous years, Legarda also sponsored the increase in the chalk or cash allowance of teachers under the annual budget. In 2015, the chalk allowance of teachers was raised from P1,000 to P1,500. It was increased to P2,500 and P3,500 during years 2017 and 2018, respectively. The increase in chalk allowance effectively enabled them to purchase more classroom supplies that aid them in teaching their students.***