Bill to set public school teachers' minimum wage at P50,000 refiled

MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to increase the minimum salary of public school teachers to P50,000 has been refiled before the House of Representatives.

Makabayan bloc lawmakers, led by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, on Monday lodged House Bill 203 , which aims to increase the minimum monthly salary of public school teachers to P50,000 — equivalent to salary grade 15 under the Salary Standardization Law.

Tinio’s office said this measure is among their top legislative priorities for the 20th Congress.

Although the Salary Standardization Law was amended in 2020 and 2024, the lawmakers claimed salaries of public school teachers remained insufficient and could barely afford “decent lives for them and their families.”

Citing an example, the lawmakers stressed that the monthly pay of mid-level personnel, such as public school teachers (Salary Grade 11, P30,024 for Step 1), barely covers a living wage of P1,217 per day or P36,510 per month for a family of five to have a “decent and humane condition of living.”

READ: Makabayan reps want entry-level pay for teachers raised to P50,000

In the bill, the lawmakers explained that the measure aims to “close the gap between the teachers’ salaries and the cost of living,” as well as address “the distortion created by the doubling of entry-level pay of military and uniformed personnel.”

“It also proposes the annual adjustment of salaries to ensure that these keep pace with the cost of living. This bill mandates the Department of Budget and Management, in consultation with public sector unions, to recommend to Congress the appropriation of the necessary funds,” a copy of the document sent by Tinio’s office to the media read.

“This bill parallels the demand of the rest of those dutifully toiling in the civilian bureaucracy for substantial salary increases, as well as the demand of workers in the private sector for a national minimum daily wage,” it added.

If enacted, the Makabayan lawmakers said the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Department of Budget and Management will be tasked to consult with public school teachers’ unions and organizations and promulgate the necessary rules and regulations of this bill.

In February last year, outgoing ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro lodged House Bill No. 9920, a similar measure seeking to address the salary woes of public school teachers.

At that time, Castro noted the growing number of teachers who were forced to seek opportunities abroad since the then - P27,000 entry-level salary per month was insufficient to overcome financial dilemmas brought on by the increasing prices of fuel and basic commodities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since October 2023, the ACT Teachers party-list has been calling for a P50,000 salary increase for entry-level teachers.

The teachers also appealed for free medical checkups and treatment, an increase in instructional allowance, compensation for teaching overload, and for the government to address the shortages in school facilities and resources, among others. /das /gsg

(2025/07/01-12:22)