The Alliance of Concerned Teachers-National Capital Region (ACT-NCR) Union on Tuesday requested to increase the educators’ Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) from the current PHP2,000 to PHP5,000 amid inflation pressures.

In an open letter to Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, the ACT-NCR Union said even teachers are affected by increasing prices of basic commodities in the country.

“Matagal na pong napako ang aming Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) sa PHP2,000 at ito na po ang panahon para gawin itong PHP5,000 sa lahat ng guro at kawani (Our PERA have long stayed at PHP2,000 and this is the time to increase it to PHP5,000 for all our teachers and personnel),” the ACT-NCR said.

The group made the statement following the approval of the PHP50,000 worth of assistance for Senate employees.

It said teachers have not received any aid since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Hindi pa po nakatikim ng relief assistance ang mga guro kahit noon panahon ng pandemya. Malaking tulong po ito para sa amin upang makapagturo nang maayos na hindi iniisip ang kumakalam naming sikmura at pambayad ng tubig at ilaw (The teachers haven’t experienced any relief assistance yet even during the pandemic. It’s a huge help for us to teach well without thinking of our empty stomachs, our water and electric bills),” the ACT-NCR said.

“Kasabay din sana nito ay ang suporta sa aming hiling na dagdag na sahod, PHP33,000 para sa SG1 (Salary Grade) at SG15 naman para sa aming Teacher I (Alongside this, we also support the salary hike request of PHP33,000 for SG1 and SG15 for our Teacher 1),” it added.

Meanwhile, the DepEd has yet to comment on the matter.

However, Duterte earlier vowed to put a premium on ensuring the welfare of teachers under the administration.

Among the initial steps the DepEd initiated include the review of the Magna Carta of Public School Teachers with legislators, partnership with the health department for teachers’ free medical check-ups, addressing of insurance benefits concerns, and provision of free legal assistance for contracts and loan obligations.

Corruption crackdown

Besides teachers’ welfare, the DepEd also intensified its actions against erring personnel and even service providers who failed to deliver.

On Monday, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said the department’s legal team is working on possible legal remedies against a certain service provider.

“The department has found another case of the failure on the part of a service provider to comply with its contract —since the year 2021… The DepEd recognizes the important fight against corruption to improve the delivery of public service,” he said.

The DepEd added it will not give details yet to ensure that the ongoing investigation will not be preempted.

Likewise, the department is currently investigating a DepEd employee suspected to be involved in fraudulent activity.

“The department is investigating a similar case of fraudulent dealings of a DepEd employee named Maricon. Administrative proceedings for various charges have been instituted and are already underway,” Poa said.

The DepEd made the remarks following the nabbing of Diokno Eje, who was allegedly involved in the appointment scam where individuals were offered positions in the government in exchange for a huge sum of money.

It urged the public to maintain vigilance against such schemes and report any unethical or fraudulent activity. (PNA)