FIRST SAY:
“In fact, "atheism" is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a "non-astrologer" or a "non-alchemist." We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to molest ranchers and their cattle. Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs.”
― Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation
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There is a scheduled bill-signing ceremony in Malacanang Palace tomorrow, June 3.
President Marcos is set to approve a bill increasing teaching supplies allowance from P5,000 to P10,000 starting School Year (SY) 2025-2026 in a ceremonial signing into law on Monday.
Proof is an invitation sent by the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office to ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, principal author of the approved bill.
The ceremonial re-enactment of the signing into law of the "Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act" is set for June 3, 2024 at the Malacañan Palace in Manila. The letter was signed by PLLO Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza.
It used to be that the government, or specifically the Department of Education (DepEd) was spending P5,000 for teaching supplies of teachers. And the poor teachers, with their small salaries, had to fork over from their own wallet the money to be used in buying chalk, manila paper, cartolina, pentel pens, etc. that are basic supplies to be used in the classrooms.
The new law to be signed by the President will double that amount.
"After a long fought battle to increase the Teaching Supplies Allowance (or chalk allowance) of teachers, the 'Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act' is now a law, hiking the current P5,000 teaching supplies allowance to P10,000," said the ACT Teachers Party-list.
"This law was first filed by the ACT Teachers Party-list in 2011 and was brought to the forefront for years before being officially passed into law." The long battle therefore is all of 13 years, they said.
In a statement, the party-list said teachers have long been clamoring for the said increase since the current allowance couldn't cover all the expenses needed to buy enough chalk, erasers, forms and other classroom supplies. As a result, educators have been taking out money from their own pockets.
The ACT party-list spearheaded the most recent measure in the House of Representatives, which was later on passed in December 2023, with their approved version providing for P7,500 for School Year 2024-2025 and P10,000 for School Year 2025-2026 onwards.
Its counterpart bill in Senate was likewise passed in May 2023. However, only P5,000 has been granted for SY 2024-2025 in the reconciled Senate Bill 1964 and House Bill 9682 of the Bicameral Conference Committee. It was officially transmitted to the Office of the President last May 3, 2024.
In a separate statement, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines last Friday attributed the bill's passage to the tireless efforts of teachers and progressive supporters.
"This is proof that we could achieve victories through collective action alongside our genuine representatives inside the Congress, the ACT Teachers Party-list, who since 2011 have filed the bill seeking for the increase of teaching supplies allowance for our public school teachers," said Vladimer Quetua, ACT chairperson.
"Teachers have long been spending their own money for school supplies. Yearly, we take out a huge amount from our own pockets to fix classrooms. This includes teaching aid costs that we use for the benefit of children."
ACT likewise reiterated its call for a salary increase, including a P50,000 entry-level pay for teachers, P33,000 salary for salary grade 1 employees, SG16 for Instructor 1 in state universities and colleges, and P33,000 national minimum wage for all workers.
This column has been critical of ACT for its patent and rote criticisms of the Marcos administration, or any administration that comes along, but this time the deserve the praise and encouragement that they should receive for seeing through the passage of this bill into law, for the benefit of all teachers in the public schools.
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Better things are happening at the Land Transportation Office (LTO), following the ambush-murder of one of its officials.
The LTO is planning to penalize the unregistered sale or mortgage of vehicles in the country by mid-June. LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said in a radio interview on Friday they will soon release a memorandum on the new policy.
“Kailangan ‘yung pagbebenta o pagsasangla ng sasakyan kailangan po naka rehistro sa LTO. ‘Pag hindi ‘yan naka-rehistro o hindi nareport ang pagkabenta, eh may penalty po ‘yan na ipapataw natin,” he said over Radyo 630.
(The sale or mortgage of vehicles needs to be registered with the LTO. If it’s unregistered or its sale is unreported, we will impose a penalty.)
According to Mendoza, the registration will be conducted online to ease the burden of listed vehicle owners.
“We’d like to do it online, no? Para madali lang ‘yung introduksyon at hindi mahirapan ‘yung tao. Inaayos lang po namin itong online system na pwede nilang i-correct ‘yung kanilang data sa kanilang rehistro o lisensya para hindi na sila mismong pumunta sa LTO,” he said.
The LTO chief said they will give ample time for all registered vehicle owners to comply with the policy change. He added that the agency only wants all information on their registration database to be accurate.
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