TWO congressmen have filed a bill seeking to institutionalize the grant of a tax-exempt P2,000 allowance a month for every public school teacher.
The salaries of state teachers are not commensurate to the sacrifices they make for the country, Davao Rep. Paolo Z. Duterte and Benguet Rep. Eric G. Yap said in the explanatory note of House Bill 3543.
Under the bill, the cash allowance will cover the purchase of tangible and intangible teaching supplies.
The budget for the allowance will come from the Department of Education under the General Appropriations Act.
Currently, cash allowances to augment the teaching expenses of public school teachers are given based on the provisions of the national budget. This year, the cash allowance was P5,000.
“Teachers serve as the nation’s modern-day heroes — tirelessly providing at par education to the youth and honing them to become valuable members of the society,” the congressmen said. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo