SEN. Bong Go said Monday that teachers should receive higher salaries and stronger benefits to keep pace with the rising cost of living.
”Teachers experience hardships, to which they often use their personal funds for buying classroom supplies and staying beyond work hours to assist the students,” Go said during the culmination of National Teachers’ Month, observed from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5.
Philippine Statistics Authority data showed headline inflation accelerating to 6.1 percent in August, with food and nonalcoholic beverages, housing, and utilities and transport among the biggest contributors. Inflation for households in the bottom 30 percent income group was higher at 8.2 percent.
In the 20th Congress, Go filed Senate Bill 410, or the proposed Across-the-Board Monthly Allowance for All Basic Education Teachers Act of 2025, which seeks an additional monthly allowance for public basic education teaching and nonteaching personnel.
The proposed allowance would be separate from existing salaries and benefits, and would be included in the computation of retirement pay and bonuses. It would cover nationally and locally funded personnel, including those involved in alternative and distance learning programs.
Go was also a co-author and co-sponsor of Republic Act (RA) 11997, or the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, which institutionalized teaching allowances for public school teachers. The annual allowance was raised to P10,000 per teacher, effective School Year 2025–2026, and is tax-exempt.
The senator previously pushed for higher compensation for civilian government workers, including through the proposed Salary Standardization Law VI. He was an author and co-sponsor of RA 11466, or Salary Standardization Law V.
Go said improving teachers’ welfare was ultimately an investment in education.
”The impact of a teacher extends far beyond the classroom,” he said, describing educators as “key drivers of the country’s development.”
