Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto filed House Bill No. 3449 : An Act Institutionalizing The Grant Of A Teaching Supplies Allowance For Public School Teachers And Appropriating Funds Therefor. It was already referred by the House Committee on Rules to the Committee on Basic Education and Culture last August 7, 2019. In her explanatory note, it says:
“This bill, therefore, institutionalizes the grant of a Teaching Supplies Allowance for the 840,0002 public school teachers and at the same time increases the cash allowance currently appropriated in the DepEd budget by 185% from the current P3,500 to P10,000 per teacher per school year. In order to come up with a deficit neutral measure, this bill proposes to initially source the additional funds from the savings of the National Government and thereafter, it shall be included in the General Appropriations Act under the DepEd budget. The grant of teaching supplies allowance shall also be exempt from income taxes.
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HB. No. 3449
Introduced by Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto
6th District of Batangas
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE GRANT OF A TEACHING SUPPLIES ALLOWANCE FOR
PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
For the fiscal year 2019, the Department of Education (DepEd) received the biggest share in the national budget pie with P500 billion out of the P3.757 trillion appropriation. This amount is intended to fully address the shortage in classrooms, teachers and textbooks to enhance the to 12 program and other reforms in our educational system. Amid these implementation of the K envisioned funding support, little is yet provided for the benefits received by teachers.
The salaries of our public school teachers are unquestionably not commensurate with the volume of work and responsibility entrusted to them. Aside from spending for their personal and family needs, teachers also have to shell out some more money from their own pockets for the materials they use in teaching. This is on top of the current P3,500 annual teaching supplies allowance they receive from the FY 2019 DepEd budget. In spite of the increasing budget allocation that the Department enjoys, the cash allowance they provide to teachers just translates to a 16-peso subsidy per day, which is relatively insufficient in assisting classroom teachers to deliver informative lectures and stimulating class discussions to the country’s 22.1 million public school students.
Republic Act No. 4670 otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers mandates that the salaries of public school teachers “shall be such as to insure teachers a reasonable standard of life for themselves and their families. ” Unfortunately, the salaries of public school teachers are currently bound by the Salary Standardization Law (SSL), hence, compensation increases would be subject to comparisons with the qualifications, skills and difficulties of other positions in the government. Thus,one of the urgent ways to respond to the clamor of our public school teachers for much needed support is to grant them with additional benefits in the form of cash allowances which would not be subject to the SSL.
This bill, therefore, institutionalizes the grant of a Teaching Supplies Allowance for the 840,0002 public school teachers and at the same time increases the cash allowance currently appropriated in the DepEd budget by 185% from the current P3,500 to P10,000 per teacher per school year. In order to come up with a deficit neutral measure, this bill proposes to initially source the additional funds from the savings of the National Government and thereafter, it shall be included in the General Appropriations Act under the DepEd budget. The grant of teaching supplies allowance shall also be exempt from income taxes.
Teachers should be given priority attention, they being contributors to the mental development and the formation of moral and ethical values of our youth. With this additional allowance, the burden on public school teachers will be alleviated and their working conditions will certainly improve.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
VILMA SANTOS-RECTO
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HB. No. 3449
Introduced by Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto
6th District of Batangas
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE GRANT OF A TEACHING SUPPLIES ALLOWANCE FOR
PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Teaching Supplies Allowance Act
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State to promote and improve the economic status of teachers and assist them in providing quality education to their students.
SEC. 3. Teaching Supplies Allowance. – A Teaching Supplies Allowance for the purchase of chalks, erasers, forms, and other classroom supplies and materials in the amount of Ten thousand pesos (PI 0,000) per teacher per school year is hereby authorized.
SEC. 4. Coverage. – The grant of the cash allowance authorized in this Act shall be limited to teachers who are engaged in actual classroom teaching in public basic education.
SEC. 5. Funding. – In the first year of the effectivity of this Act, the amount of Three thousand five hundred pesos (P3,500.00) per teacher per school year, shall be charged against the current appropriations of the Department of Education (DepEd) for the Teaching Supplies Allowance, while the additional Six thousand five hundred pesos (P6,500.00) per teacher per school year, shall be charged against any available funds and/or savings of the DepEd. Thereafter, the amount of Ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00) per teacher per school year, shall be included in the DepEd budget for the Teaching Supplies Allowance under the General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 6. Exemption from Income Taxes. – The teaching supplies allowance provided in Section 3 hereof shall be exempt from tax on income.
SEC. 7. Periodic Review for Increases. – The Secretary of Education is hereby mandated to conduct a periodic review of the Teaching Supplies Allowance, taking into account the current prices of classroom supplies, and, if warranted, recommend the necessary increase in the amount of the allowance to be included in the General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 8. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act is subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, resolutions, orders or ordinances, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
SEC. 10. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,
Copy of HB. No. 3449
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE GRANT OF A TEACHING SUPPLIES ALLOWANCE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
