SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday vowed to push for the restoration of the funding for the medical benefits of public school teachers as the Senate is set to deliberate on the P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.

Despite the limitation on resources, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture said it is crucial to retain the funding for the medical benefits of teachers.

“Sa kabila ng patuloy na banta ng Covid19 sa ating bansa, kailangang tuloy-tuloy ang suporta na ibinibigay natin para patuloy na maitaguyod ang kapakanan ng ating mga guro. Isa sa mga mahahalagang benepisyong dapat patuloy nating maibigay ay para sa tulong medikal ng mga guro, lalo na’t nasa gitna tayo ng isang matinding krisis pangkalusugan,” Gatchalian said.

Under the 2020 budget, P400 million was allotted for teachers’ annual medical examination. This is equivalent to P500 per teacher and was released in October.

Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla previously explained that the Department of Budget and Management did not consider the proposed budget for teachers’ medical allowances in the 2021 National Expenditure Program.

The NEP allocated P605.7 billion for DepEd for 2021, up by 9.54 percent from its P552.9 billion budget this year.

Gatchalian also reiterated the importance of carrying out all the provisions of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, which seeks to improve the living and working conditions of teachers. The senator noted that only 40 percent of the provisions have been fully fulfilled since the law was enacted.

Gatchalian said section 22 of the Magna Carta mandates that public school teachers be given free and compulsory medical examination before they take up teaching.

This shall be repeated every year and should teachers require treatment and hospitalization, the government should provide it to them for free.

The Magna Carta also mandates a six-hour teaching schedule in a day and additional compensation if teachers perform tasks outside their normal duties.

It also provides for other benefits such as special hardship allowances for teachers who have difficulty in commuting to work or are exposed to other hazards peculiar to their place of employment.

“Bilang mga frontliner sa pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon, isinasakripisyo ng mga guro ang kanilang kaligtasan at kalusugan, kaya hindi natin dapat ipagkait ang ano mang uri ng suportang maaari nating ibigay sa kanila,” Gatchalian said.