Loren supports higher salaries for teachers

April 24, 2010

NP-NPC-LDP VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA TODAY REITERATED HER SUPPORT FOR RAISING THE SALARY OF TEACHERS, HAVING AUTHORED SENATE BILL 1611, WHICH UPGRADES THE TEACHERS’ SALARY FROM SALARY GRADE 11 TO 19.
Loren urged teachers not to believe text messages claiming that she has filed a bill cutting the salaries of teachers, and that this will take effect once she becomes VP.
“That is not true. It is unfortunate that text messages containing these lies continue to circulate up to now. They have turned and twisted the facts against me. My heart goes out for teachers. I believe that they hold the future of our nation, as they guide and teach our children in school. They even ensure clean and honest counting of the ballots during elections. With all these pressure and demands that their profession asks of them, I think they are not compensated well enough,” Loren said.
Loren authored the Public School Teachers’ Salary Upgrade Act (SB-1611) and the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers Act (SB-72), both aimed at increasing the basic compensation levels and benefits package of public school teachers. She also authored the law increasing the basic pay of military personnel.
Loren said she is confident that teachers and students will not fall for black propaganda so easily, but asks the public to focus on the track record and platform of candidates, not on how they are currently portrayed in media.
“The only way to put an end to all these baseless trending and campaign gimmickry is if we stop believing in it. Otherwise, we will just be feeding a monstrous hypocrisy that has been miseducating our voters and degrading our democracy. I ask the public not to believe these false accusations against me, and to be critical of hypes and propaganda they hear about candidates. I have ran in four national campaigns, and the mudslinging is at its worst now. Please go beyond the mudslinging and black propaganda, and examine which candidate offers the better platform,” said Loren.
According to Loren, if the politicians who have been funding the black propaganda against her really wanted to help Filipinos, they should have put the millions of pesos spent on texting sham messages to better use through feeding missions, medical missions, job fairs and the like.
Legarda calls on candidates to spend the remaining days of the campaign period on presenting their platforms and educating the electorate regarding national issues.
“This (the black propaganda) is a disservice to the Filipino nation. It is not yet too late to start cleaning up our act and really engaging the nation in platform-based debate concerning the national issues confronting us,” Legarda said.