Teachers' welfare high in Legarda's legislative agenda in the Senate

The promotion of teachers’ welfare ranks high in the legislative agenda of Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Loren Legarda once re-elected to the Senate.

Legarda, who is seeking a return to the Senate, said she is committed to further upgrade the salaries of teachers and non-teaching staff, provide safe, accessible and quality educaiton and pursue effective pandemic response, dignity of wor and respect and protection of democratic rights.

Legarda vowed to espouse the legislative agenda of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers represented in the Lower Hoouse by Asst. Minority Leader France Castro.

Education, according to her, should be prioritized, especially with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our goal is to highlight the value of teachers, the essential role they play in youth development, guarantee them adequate support with expanded benefits and incentives and better professional development programs for educators,” she explained.

Legarda made the commitment in response to the challenge recently posed by ACT on senatorial candidates to pursue pro-education and pro-teacher policies.

She agreed with ACT that Congress must give top priority to education. “Since the education sector has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is indeed a need to provide special assistance to students, learners, educators and trainers to ensure continued access to quality education while protecting them from exposure to health risks,” she stressed.

Understanding the importance of upgrading the country’s educational system, Legarda has long worked for the improvement of the education sector.

She pushed for the increase in cash allowance of teachers in previous years—from Php 1,500 in 2015 to Php 2,500 and Php 3,500 in 2017 and 2018, respectively. As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, she also sponsored the allocation of an additional P800 million under the budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the 2019 General Appropriations Act, which provide each public school teacher a Php 1,000 incentive every 5th of October, in celebration of World Teachers’ Day. She also co-authored the proposed Magna Carta for Public School Teachers which aims to provide security of tenure and adequate remuneration and other non-wage benefits to teachers.

“Our teachers have long endured dismal conditions like lack school facilities, meager benefits, hardships and sacrifices in building our nation and molding the leaders of tomorrow. They deserve worthy compensation for their noble profession. We should invest in this profession to build our education system as a bastion of knowledge and hope for future generations,” she concluded.