Presidential Candidate Pacquiao to double pay of public school teachers

 Manny Pacquiao, a presidential candidate and senator, promised on Tuesday to double the pay of all government teachers and work to enhance the welfare of educators in the private sector in order to "restore the dignity" of the profession.

Pacquiao stated in a statement that many teachers' living conditions have "miserably degraded" owing to a lack of government support.

“Sobrang napabayaan na ng pamahalaan ang ating mga guro. Noong araw, ang pagiging guro ay isang position of dignity and respect pero parang nawawala na ito dahil napakarami sa ating mga guro ang naghihikahos kaya napipipilitan na pumasok sa mga sitwasyon na nakakawala ng dignidad,” Pacquiao said.

(The teachers have been neglected by the government. Back then, the teaching profession is a position of dignity and respect but it has deteriorated over time because our teachers are not earning enough and they are forced to enter situations which do not maintain their dignity.)

While he acknowledged President Rodrigo Duterte’s initiative to increase the salaries of the uniformed personnel, Pacquiao said it is equally important for the government to prioritize the welfare of the teachers and the healthcare workers as they are considered as the most important civilian sectors during the pandemic.

“It is time for the new President to resolve this injustice in their working conditions,” he said.

Pacquiao said anew that his proposal could be funded if the government could track the estimated P700 billion to P1 trillion public funds which he said are lost to corruption.

Pacquiao also vowed to stop allocating hefty budgets for intelligence and discretionary funds and realign them for the salary increase of the teachers and health care workers.

Meanwhile, he said he would ask Congress to review the labor standards in private schools and check if the wage increases for the private health care and educational sectors could be legislated.

Apart from this, he vowed to ask the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) to revamp the current minimum wage for teachers.

On top of the wage increases, Pacquiao said teachers should be provided with all the gadgets they need to complement his “one gadget, one student” proposal.—LDF, GMA News

This article Pacquiao vows to double pay of public school teachers was originally published in GMA News Online.

(The government has ignored the teaching profession; it used to be a position of dignity and respect, but it has deteriorated over time since our teachers do not earn enough and are forced into settings that do not respect their dignity.)

While praising President Rodrigo Duterte's initiative to raise uniformed personnel's salary, Pacquiao said it is also critical for the government to prioritize the welfare of teachers and healthcare professionals, as they are the most vulnerable civilian sectors during the pandemic.

"It is past time for the new President to put an end to this inequity in their working conditions," he stated."

Pacquiao said anew that his proposal could be funded if the government could track the estimated P700 billion to P1 trillion public funds which he said are lost to corruption.

Pacquiao also vowed to stop allocating hefty budgets for intelligence and discretionary funds and realign them for the salary increase of the teachers and health care workers.

Meanwhile, he said he would ask Congress to review the labor standards in private schools and check if the wage increases for the private health care and educational sectors could be legislated.

Apart from this, he vowed to ask the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) to revamp the current minimum wage for teachers.

On top of the wage increases, Pacquiao said teachers should be provided with all the gadgets they need to complement his “one gadget, one student” proposal.—LDF, GMA News

Source:GMA NEWS-MSN