THE Makabayan bloc lawmakers filed a bill seeking to increase the entry-level salary of teachers to P50,000.

ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro led the group in filing House Bill 9920 urging the government to raise the present minimum monthly salary of public school teachers from P27,000 to P50,000.

The amount is equivalent to salary grade 15 under the Salary Standardization Law.

The solons said most teachers have no choice but to seek opportunities abroad as their P27,000 entry-level salary per month is insufficient to overcome financial woes brought about by the increasing prices of fuel and basic commodities.

“Teachers are given increases of a little over P6,000 spread across four years or about P1,500 annually,” the lawmakers said.

“These measly increases are quickly eaten away by inflation and excise taxes, especially those brought by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion. The disparity between the salary and the family’s living wage continues to widen, as inflation steadily rises without corresponding timely increases in salaries,” they added.

The measure also seeks to increase the salary of education support personnel and adjust them annually to help them adapt to the current cost of living, which is P1,119 per day or P33,570 per month which is the ideal amount for a family of five.