An increase in the salaries of teachers might soon be realized despite the COVID-19 pandemic, acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar has said.
“I’m sure there will be an increase in the salaries of our teachers. Tatay Digong loves our teachers,” he said during the “Ask Me Anything, Anywhere” segment aired on his Facebook page on Saturday.
Duterte, in several speeches, said teachers were very important to him because his late mother Soledad was also a teacher.
Andanar said he would ask Education Secretary Leonor Briones for updates regarding plans to raise teachers’ pay.
In March 2021, Duterte said the COVID-19 pandemic foiled his plan to increase the salary of teachers.
But he said he was “saving” funds so he could finally give the salary hike that teachers deserve.
Earlier, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers renewed its call for salary increases, saying their families are suffering from rising costs of fuel that also cause spikes in the cost of goods and other services.
The education sector obtained the largest increase in the approved 2022 national budget with P788.5 billion.
The 2022 budget is expected to help various reforms and initiatives for the country’s education sector amid the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwehile, Partido Reporma senatorial candidate Guillermo Eleazar said Sunday a subject that focuses on disaster resilience should be included in the school curriculum since Filipinos were often exposed to different natural hazards such as typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, among others.
Eleazar, the former Philippine National Police chief, said it was wise that the Department of Education (DepEd) considered the value of disaster resilience among young learners.
“We are hit by strong typhoons on a yearly basis and this do not include the threat of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. And every year, a lot of our countrymen are hit hard by calamities. A lot of lives, livelihood sources, and properties are often lost making it difficult for those affected to recover),” he said in a statement.
In 2015, the DepEd incorporated the comprehensive disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) in the basic education framework.
This guides DRRM efforts in the basic education sector and ensures that quality education is continuously provided and prioritized even during disasters or emergencies.
Although it is closely related and interconnected, Eleazar said “DRRM” is actually different from disaster resilience.
He added that the DRMM focused on “planning and reducing vulnerabilities” while the latter puts emphasis on “speeding recovery and facilitating adaptation.”
The “duck, cover, hold” procedure, he said, as well as other strategies to minimize the occurrence and better manage the risks during a disaster are actually part of DRRM.