ACT Teachers Partylist announced new agreements with the Department of Education (DepEd), including the granting of the P7,000 medical allowance as cash, among other benefits.
The reelected partylist said returning representative Antonio Tinio met with education secretary Sonny Angara at DepEd’s main offices in Pasig City on Monday who agreed that the allowance may be received as cash as long as teachers submit receipts from a health maintenance organization.
ACT said that the DepEd has also confirmed that each class will revert to one hour from the current 45 minutes, “to lighten the teachers’ teaching loads.”
The partylist also said that the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH) for principal aspirants will no longer be mandatory but will just be one of several qualification criteria for the position.
Teachers serving as teacher-in-charge shall be given points in reclassification processes, the group added.
ACT said that DepEd also informed them of fewer classroom observations that will be conducted in more flexible ways and will not be limited to actual teaching demonstrations.
Deped also clarified that master teachers will not be forcibly ordered to transfer to Key Stage 1 classes (Kinder to Grade 3) and will be transferred according to their respective competencies, ACT said.
Finally, DepEd clarified that teachers will still receive additional school supplies on top of their teaching supplies allowance of P10,000, the group added.
ACT said that Angara will issue memoranda to make the agreements and announcements official.
Tinio was accompanied at the dialogue by former legislator France Castro who finished her third and last term as ACT representative last month.
After the dialogue at DepEd Central, Tinio reported for work at the House of Representatives, filing 10 measures on his first day as a returning legislator.
ACT Teacher Party’s first bills in the 20th Congress are the following:
- ₱1,200 Living Wage Bill, for all employees and workers;
- 6% GDP for Education Bill, which shall mandate the government to allocate such amount for the education sector ;
- ₱50k for Public School Teachers Bill; which aims to peg the entry level salary of teachers to such amount;
- Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) Bill
- Lowering of Optional Retirement Age (LORA) Bill
- HR for Independent Foreign Policy – Termination of Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States;
- Free Universal Health Services Bill;
- Anti-Political Dynasty Bill;
- Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill; and
- Absolute Divorce Bill
Tinio said that ACT Teachers Party is not letting up in its service to teachers and the Filipino people. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
