Legarda Underscores Filipino Teachers’ Multifaceted Role as World Celebrates Teachers’ Day

MANILA, October 5, 2012-Senator Loren Legarda underscored the multifaceted role of Filipino teachers as countries worldwide celebrate World Teachers’ Day today.

“Our teachers are primarily the second parents of our children. But they have fulfilled other roles in our society. Our teachers are the most reliable and dedicated public servants. They are being constantly called upon by officials of the local and national government to assist in various civic activities which contribute to the welfare of the community and the country, most notable of which is when they perform their functions during election period, and assist the National Statistics Office in gathering data even in the remotest places,” Legarda stressed.

The Senator noted that as educators, Filipino teachers already have a load of work as based on statistics of Department of Education for school year 2010-2011, more than 615,000 teachers are serving over 21 million primary and secondary students.

“As we pay tribute to our teachers, I stress once more the need to pursue the changes we eagerly want for our teachers because despite their significant contributions to the country, teachers, especially those in public schools, remain among the lowest paid government workers,” she pointed out.

“Teachers are considered the heart of our educational system, heralded as the molders of our children’s future, and among the most prized leaders of the country. It is only fitting that they be respected, protected, and given the privileges that they deserve including better compensation packages and other benefits,” Legarda said.

Legarda is the author of Senate Bill 10 of the Magna Carta of Teachers and Non-Teaching Personnel Act. This proposed measure seeks to ensure teachers and non-teaching personnel the security of tenure, timely payment of their salaries on a monthly basis regardless of semestral or summer vacations, annual salary adjustment to mitigate the effects of inflation, and gratuity benefits for those who retire before reaching the compulsory retirement age of 60.