After many years, public teachers finally won the struggle to increase the budget allocated to teaching materials. The ACT Teachers Partylist announced today that the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act has come into effect. Starting in 2025, teachers will receive a ₱10,000 budget from the previous ₱5,000.

The teachers’ party first proposed the additional budget in 2011. With the support of teachers, the ACT Teachers Partylist has consistently and undauntedly asserted this in every Congress that it has been installed.

The proposal was passed in the third hearing in the Senate in May 2023 while in December 2023 in the House of Representatives. The bicameral conference in March 2024 finalized it. It was submitted to Malacañang on May 3. The said law’s signing ceremony will be held on June 3.

On May 28, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) warned Marcos against vetoing the bill. Vladimer Quetua, president of ACT, said that this will gravely infuriate the teachers. In late 2022, Marcos then scrapped the proposal to eliminate the tax on the allowance and honoraria of teachers who served in the election.

The ACT Teachers Partylist saluted all the teachers who fought for the increased allowance. “We would not have been able to achieve this without the help of the teachers who united to act to fight for their wages and benefits. This victory is yours, teachers!” the party stated.

Following their success, ACT urged fellow teachers to continue to fight for a salary increase. They demand on raising the entry-level salary to P50,000 for teachers, P33,000 for Salary Grade 1 employees, and ₱39,672 or SG16 for Instructors 1 in state universities and colleges.