DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones.
MANILA -- Amid public school teachers’ clamor for a wage increase and President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise, the Department of Education (DepED) noted that teachers’ monthly salary has increased by more than 100 percent since 2000.
Data from DepEd showed that the basic monthly salary of a Teacher I constituted a 119.25 percent increase which means that following the final tranche of the Salary Standardization Law in 2019, a Teacher I now gets PHP20,754 compared to the PHP9,466 in 2000.
Currently, DepEd said, a Teacher II receives PHP22,938 monthly compensation; Teacher III — PHP 25,232; Master Teacher I — PHP40,637; Master Teacher II — PHP45,269; Master Teacher III — PHP51,155; and Master Teacher IV — PHP57,805.
“If benefits are computed and incorporated, a Teacher I today receives PHP30,873 monthly compensation and benefits,” DepEd said in a statement Sunday.
It added that for almost two decades, public school teachers in the Philippines — the largest army in government service — have gained continued improvements in their compensation.
Pursuant to Executive Order (EO) No. 219, s. 2000, a Teacher I was classified under SG 10. The monthly salary of Teacher I was then raised to PHP9,939 in 2001 following EO No. 22, and to PHP10,933 after six years under EO No. 611, s. 2007. It was increased to PHP12,026 a year after pursuant to EO No. 719. It was in 2009 when the SG assignment of a Teacher I was raised to 11 with a basic monthly salary of PHP14,198, which was increased to PHP18,549 in 2012 under EO No. 811. Finally, EO No. 201 raised their basic monthly salary to P20,754 this year.
Also pursuant to Executive Order (EO) No. 219, s. 2000, a Master Teacher II — the highest teaching position then — was classified under SG 17 with a basic monthly salary of PHP14,232 which increased to PHP45,269 in 2019 under SG 19, a 318% increase.
Meanwhile, the Master Teacher III and Master Teacher IV positions were created in 2010 and 2012, respectively. From PHP29,052 under SG 20 in 2010, the basic monthly salary of a Master Teacher III increased to PHP51,155 in 2019, a 76% increase. A Master Teacher IV under SG 21 now receives PHP57,805 from PHP34,493 in 2012, a 67.58% increase.
DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said ensuring “just and equitable” compensation for public school teachers is key to retraining competent and committed civil servants.
Briones added that she fully supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement to raise the salaries of teachers.
“As Education Secretary, and as an advocate, I am committed to the policy to promote and improve the social and economic status of public school teachers, their living and working conditions, and their terms of employment,” she said.
Briones added that the current DepEd administration "vows to continuously expand the scope of employee welfare and safeguard the personal and professional development of both its teaching and non-teaching personnel" which is a priority under her 10-point agenda.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier said government would need around PHP150 billion annually for a PHP10,000 increase for public school teachers.
There are about 830,000 teachers nationwide, according to the DepEd.
Malacañang earlier sought for more patience from public school teachers and assured that Duterte’s economic managers are now looking for sources to fund their wage increase. (With reports from Azer Parrocha/PNA)
