Teachers under the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) presented the long-standing demands of teachers and workers in the education sector during their dialogue with the secretary and officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) recently. Among the issues they presented is the urgent need for salary increases and delayed benefits.

On July 18, ACT leaders, its local unions, and the ACT Teachers Partylist held talks with DBM Secretary Pangandaman. This dialogue revealed that a salary increase is possible this 2024 through the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) VI, which was allocated ₱40 billion. It will be implemented retroactively, to include the months before 2024.

ACT Teachers Partylist Chairperson Antonio Tinio strongly criticized the amount, saying the funds are insufficient for the teachers’ long-standing call for ₱50,000 entry-level pay and ₱33,000 for Salary Grade (SG) 1 employees and SG16 for Instructors 1.

The dialogue also discussed the granting of the much-delayed Performance-based Bonus (PBB) for 2022 and 2023. While there is no certainty as to when these bonuses will be released, teachers were granted their demand that Individual Performance Commitment Forms (IPCRF) will no longer be required by DepEd before receiving the bonuses.

The dialogue also discussed the set rules for giving promotion to teachers and other workers in the education sector. They also presented the call to the Marcos regime to double the education budget to international standard levels of 6% of the gross domestic product (GDP). They pressed for the permanent scrapping, and not just suspension, of the overworked and burdensome Results-Based Performance Management System (RBPMS) and Performance-Based Incentive System (PBIS).

Meanwhile, the teachers held a dialogue with DepEd Sec. Sonny Angara on July 10 after they picketed the department’s office in Pasig City. They briefed the secretary on key issues facing teachers and the education sector.

The groups said they will continue to assert and demand for the rights of teachers and those in the education sector especially amid the approaching third State of the Nation Address by Marcos Jr and the opening of the 2024-2025 school year on July 29 .