Proper housing for public school teachers in the Philippines should be prioritized, said Senator Edgardo J. Angara during a joint hearing by the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Retirement and related committees yesterday.
Angara, chair of the Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, explained that educators make up one of the four sectors of the government which make the biggest impact on the public. The first two, the Judiciary and the police force, look after the safety and provide justice, while health and education professionals deal with the overall well-being of the public.
"We should prioritize the housing for our teachers as they are among the most important public servants in any country. They teach and mold our children, and are on the frontline in times of crisis and emergency, such as disaster relief operations. Teachers are also a vanguard of our democracy especially during elections," he said.
However, teachers in the Philippines still earn much less compared to their counterparts in the ASEAN region.
"We can solve this problem by establishing a housing program--through a comprehensive piece of legislation--especially for our educators," said Angara.
"Everyone is entitled to a home. Housing should be considered a universal human right, in the same way health and education are," he added.
Angara, chair of the Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, explained that educators make up one of the four sectors of the government which make the biggest impact on the public. The first two, the Judiciary and the police force, look after the safety and provide justice, while health and education professionals deal with the overall well-being of the public.
"We should prioritize the housing for our teachers as they are among the most important public servants in any country. They teach and mold our children, and are on the frontline in times of crisis and emergency, such as disaster relief operations. Teachers are also a vanguard of our democracy especially during elections," he said.
However, teachers in the Philippines still earn much less compared to their counterparts in the ASEAN region.
"We can solve this problem by establishing a housing program--through a comprehensive piece of legislation--especially for our educators," said Angara.
"Everyone is entitled to a home. Housing should be considered a universal human right, in the same way health and education are," he added.
Angara then proposed to include housing provision for teachers in a Magna Carta for Public Servants. "This way, we are assured that these initiatives will get adequate funding from government."
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