ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro urged Congress to help find funding for the proposed P1,500 monthly internet allowance for teachers.

She sought the passage of House Bill 7034 or the Internet Allowance for Public School Teachers Act.

“Teachers nationwide have struggled with various tasks requiring the use of information and communications technology with a bulk of online tasks and a substantial need for digital access. Teachers still rely on their already measly salaries to get access to internet data,” Castro said.

She claimed that SIM cards with 34GB given to teachers only lasted for 3 months, with many of these expiring this month.

Castro said the 34Gb monthly data load is not enough for online classes and other tasks.

“With this already insufficient program of DepEd expiring, teachers are again left with nothing and no choice but to use their own salaries to make sure they still have access to the internet for their blended learning classes,” she said.

According to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, teachers with the expired DepEd 349 SIM cards will no longer receive the 1GB daily data allowance and will be left with only the accumulated unused 4-GB monthly data provision, if there are any.

“Our call for the P1,500 monthly internet allowance is justifiable for ensuring the youth’s education continuity amid the pandemic. Teachers are reliant on internet access in the conduct of distance learning. They have suffered enough since June of 2020 due to the costs of cellphone loads, internet subscription and higher electric bills,” Castro said.