MANILA — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) is seeking a legislated raise in the starting salary for educators to P50,000, emphasizing that the current pay falls short of providing a sufficient “living wage.”

“Hindi po ‘yun living wage. Maraming kaltas. Marami po talaga sa amin ay baon sa utang. Naka-loan ang aming mga ATM,” National Capital Region Union President Ruby Bernardo said on Sunday (05 May 2024).

Bernardo said that the salary hike should be passed through legislation. Currently, the salary of Teacher I is P27,000 nationwide.

“Sa palagay po namin, talagang napag-iiwanan ang sahod ng mga teachers… ‘Yung mga teachers po ay nanatiling maliit ang sahod at hindi pa nagkaroon ng substantial increase,” she added.

Bernardo also said that a huge number of teachers were taking a risk to work abroad due to low compensation.

Meanwhile, the group is hoping that the administration will prioritize the implementation of increasing salaries for the teachers.

“Hoping na sa kasalukuyang administrasyon ay ma-prayoridad naman ang ating mga teachers. For so long, kahit noong panahon ng pandemya iba ‘yung sakripisyo ng ating mga public school teacher.”