Athe alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Davao Chapter is asking the local government for additional subsidies.
Yesterday, ACT members attended the City Council session to air their requests.
They asked the councilors to pass ordinances to grant P2,000 monthly local allowance and P2,500 quarterly rice subsidy to all personnel of the Department of Education assigned in the city.
ACT-Davao president Reynaldo Pardillo told councilors that the P19,620 entry level salary of a public school teacher and the take home pay of P17,220 is not sufficient to provide for a living in a highly urbanized city.
“The ACT Davao Region believes that the city government has the capacity to give financial relief to the teachers,” Pardillo said in his speech as guest in the City Council session.
Pardillo said their request is legally justifiable as their research revealed that 22 cities in the country, including five in Mindanao, provide DepEd personnel with local allowance.
Councilor Pilar Braga, chair on the council committee on education, referred the ACT request to the Committee on Finance, Ways and Means, and Appropriations under Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang.
Dayanghirang vowed prioritize the request. However, he said the city needs at least P240 million a year to be able to respond to teachers’ demand.
The councilor said it will be the executive branch, under Mayor Sara Duterte, that will have a final say on the issue.
Teachers are currently making a signature campaign appealing their request to the mayor.
In the previous years, the city government provided a P1,000 worth of gift check to DepEd teachers.
In their press release, the ACT also cited the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) saying P42,000 is needed by a family of five to live decently.
The ACT also claimed that most of public school teachers receive a monthly take home pay of P5,000 from all the deductions, including loans.
