ORMOC CITY – On the eve of the celebration meant to honor the teachers, Education Secretary Leonor Briones dropped a bombshell – no salary increase for them.

She told reporters in a news conference on Thursday night, the day before the World Teachers Day celebration on Friday, that the government could not afford a salary adjustment for the 6,500 public school teachers in the country.

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Briones pointed out that raising the teachers’ salaries might push the government to raise taxes anew to meet the demand of teachers and other government workers for higher wages.

“Right now, the budget of the Department of Education is P527 billion and more than P350 billion go to the salaries of the teachers,” she said.

An additional P350 billion in taxes would be needed if the teachers’ wages are increased, she added.

“Now, I would like to ask and consult all of you here as I presume that all of you are taxpayers, are you prepared, can we afford to contribute P350 billion more in taxes to increase the salaries of the teachers?” asked Briones, a former national treasurer.

“While we think of the personal needs of our teachers, we have to also to think of the rest of the economy. We also have to think of the rest of Filipinos and we have to prosper together,” she added.

Public school teachers, specifically those belonging to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers are demanding an increase in salaries from P21,000 to P30,000 as starting salary, citing the increase in the prices of commodities and utilities.

Briones also said an increase in the salaries of the teachers could result in the exodus of teachers from private schools.

Teachers in private schools receive as low as P6,000 a month, lower than their counterparts in public schools.

She said once they pass the Licensure Exam for Teachers, they would immediately apply for teaching jobs in public schools due to higher pay.

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“The most a teacher will stay in a private school will be three years,” she added. “We cannot promote the interest of the public school teachers (at the expense of private school teachers).”

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