Solon pledges to improve access to quality education

Antique Rep. Loren Legarda pledged to improve the quality of education and make it more accessible to learners.

Legarda, who is running for senator, said that improving the education system does not only mean having good facilities for students but also giving the needs of teachers and non-teaching personnel.

“Ang salary grade ng entry level public school teachers ay Salary Grade 11 lamang na nasa mahigit P25,000 sa kasalukuyang Salary Standardization tranche. Naitaas na po natin ang suweldo ng mga military and uniformed personnel, gayundin ang ating mga nurses. We also have to push for a competitive salary for our teachers,” Legarda said.

“I had previously filed bills for the upgrading of teachers’ salaries when I was at the Senate. I filed it again in the House of Representatives, and I am going to continue pushing for the approval of this long-overdue measure that is so important to the teaching profession,” she added.

Legarda sponsored measures to uplift the plight of teachers when she was the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, 

Through her help, the chalk allowance was increased from P1,000 to P1,500 in 2015, and to P2,500 in 2017 and to P3,500 in 2018.

The lawmaker also backed the teachers’ demand for overtime pay.

She committed to work with DepEd to ensure that the efforts of teachers beyond their mandate are well compensated.

“Aside from their teaching duties, teachers are likewise most reliable in serving the general welfare. They go beyond their duties in the classroom, notably when they serve during election period and when they aid the Philippine Statistics Authority in gathering data from households across the country,” Legarda said.