ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio on Monday condemned the police dispersal of teachers and education workers protesting near Malacañang, saying it showed how the government treated educators demanding higher pay and benefits.
The protest was held Sunday, a day before World Teachers’ Day. The protesters called for a P50,000 entry-level salary for teachers, a P5,000 increase in Personnel Economic Relief Allowance, and a bigger education budget.
“The violence committed by the police against teachers who were peacefully calling for higher salaries and benefits is unacceptable. They did not even respect teachers who were simply calling for these things. Instead of listening to the legitimate grievances of our teachers, they were met with batons, bloodshed and destroyed belongings,” Tinio said.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers Philippines reported that 16 protesters were injured in the dispersal.
Tinio said the teachers’ demands should be viewed alongside recent Commission on Audit (COA) findings involving unbuilt or “ghost” classrooms, unpaid infrastructure projects and underutilized Department of Education funds.
“The government claims it has no money for a decent salary for teachers, yet COA reports reveal billions wasted on ghost classrooms and idle funds. The resources exist — what is lacking is the political will to prioritize our teachers over corruption and misplaced spending,” he said.
He demanded accountability for the violent dispersal, urging the Philippine National Police to investigate the officers involved.
Tinio also called on the Commission on Human Rights to conduct its own probe.
He said the teachers’ demands extend beyond salaries to better benefits, adequate education funding and accountability for alleged corruption in government spending.
He urged teachers, education support personnel, students and other members of the education sector to remain united in pursuing those demands on World Teachers’ Day.
