MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called on legislators from both houses of Congress to continue working together with the executive branch to improve people’s lives and to craft laws based on foresight as he led Monday the ceremonial signing at the Palace of the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act.
The law authorizes an increase in the annual teaching allowance for public school teachers. According to the provisions of the new law, the teaching allowance will increase from P5,000 to P10,000 beginning in school year 2025-2026. The newly-approved law represents the most significant increase to date. Public school teachers have historically received allowances for their actual teaching expenses, which began from P100 in 1988 to P5,000 by 2021.
“Indeed, this new law institutionalizes the provision of an annual teaching allowance and gradually increases it from the current five thousand pesos to ten thousand pesos, which will not be subjected to income tax,” President Marcos said during the ceremonial signing in Malacañang.
“And while it might seem inconsequential to those who are already used to having a steady supply of basic materials for work, this amount makes an enormous difference for our beloved teachers and for the students,” he pointed out.
For decades, President Marcos said teachers have willingly taken on the burden of having to spend their own money on classroom supplies to aid them in teaching, wholeheartedly embracing their responsibility as part of their duty as teachers.
“It must take an incredible amount of love to sacrifice what little you have for the sake of your students despite having financial worries of your own,” said the Chief Executive.
“With the passage of this law, we are easing some of the burden that you carry each day,” he added.
According to the President, teachers are the unsung heroes of society, toiling and burning the midnight oil, as well as teaching the Filipino children not for money or prestige.
They serve the country each day by teaching children the basic foundations to make them responsible and productive citizens, he pointed out, stressing it is the government’s responsibility to take care of the country’s educators.
Monday’s ceremonial signing also marked a significant milestone for Philippine education, he said, noting since the start of his term, he has placed great emphasis on the need to bolster the education system with great urgency.
And through the administration’s MATATAG Agenda, it is addressing the challenges to basic education by decongesting the basic education curriculum, building more classrooms and providing learning materials and internet connection, pursuing the school-based feeding program, fostering safe spaces for learning, and implementing other programs aimed at supporting learners’ welfare.
Thanking lawmakers for their hard work, the President emphasized the passage of the law gives much needed assistance for the fourth component of the MATATAG Agenda – to give support to teachers so they can teach better.
The Department of Education’s (DepEd) MATATAG Program aims to reform and enhance the Philippine basic education system, focusing on addressing key challenges and setting a direction to a more promising future for Filipino youth.
The President also expressed gratitude to Congress for its passage of the Eddie Garcia Law and the Philippine Ecosystem and the Natural Capital Accounting System Law, or PENCAS law, which he signed last May 24.
