THREE lawmakers filed a resolution at the House of Representatives directing the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Education to properly implement the grant of special hardship allowance for public school teachers.

House Resolution No. 61 was filed by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Women’s Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoual Danniel Manuel.

They cited the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers stating that teachers exposed to hardship such as difficulty in commuting to the place of work or other hazards shall be given special hardship allowance equivalent to at least 25 percent of their monthly salary.

The lawmakers criticized the Education department for releasing an order and memoranda stressing that the special hardship allowance shall not exceed 25 percent of the annual basic salary.

“These guidelines contradict the clear text of The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers. While the law provides 25 percent as the minimum amount of the Special Hardship Allowance, these administrative issuances make 25 percent as the maximum,” they said in their resolution.

“This unlawful reinvention of the law by mere administrative circulars has resulted in the diminution of benefits of public school teachers. The injustice is even graver considering that the teachers concerned are those who make the greatest sacrifices just to bring education to Filipino children in the hardest-to-reach corners of our country,” they added.