Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES’.
Quezon City {

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 1285

Introduced by HONORABLE LUIS RAYMUND F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Public school teachers are the unsung heroes of this nation. Much is
owed to them who tirelessly educate millions of Filipinos despite the perennial
problems of our education sector. For instance, there are 21 million public school
students from kindergarten to high school, and barely 800,000 public school
teachers. These figures translate to a whopping 1:80 teacher to student ratio in
some of the most congested public schools in the country! The Department of
Education (DepEd) recognizes an ideal ratio of one teacher per 30 students only.
However, on top of the lack of teachers, is the substantial insufficiency of
classrooms in most public schools as well

In 2004, DepEd introduced the double-shift policy to address the
aforementioned issues, and consequently achieved a 1:55 improved teacher to
student rati0®. Unfortunately, as a result of such policy, some public school
teachers now cover up to two to three shifts per day with classes starting as
early as GAM and ending late in the afternoon. The daily work of teachers is not
limited to the hours spent inside classrooms. In fact, much time and money are
also spent preparing lesson plans, creating lesson materials like visual aids,
designing and checking

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schools-for-first-day-of-schoolyear-amid-rains-jeepney-strike/story/

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homework and exams, and ensuring the safety of students inside school
premises even after class hours.


For all the services and work hours rendered by a Teacher |, he or she
takes home a standard monthly net income of P16,000 only' under the Salary
Standardization Law (SSL). Additionally, teachers are provided an annual P
1,500 "chalk" allowance or P7 a day for school supplies. This amount is
obviously not enough for all the requirements of their workload and the number
of their students. Hence, many teachers are forced to buy their classroom
supplies using their own money, further burdening their monthly salaries and
straining finances. Since 2012, this amount has been subjected to various
adjustments and even threats of dissolution.

This bill seeks to, once and for all, institutionalize a yearly teaching
supplies allowance for teachers in the amount of P 3,000 on top of their salaries.
A handful of House bills had already been previously filed to address the
inadequacy of the current amount but not one of such bills was passed, and
Filipino public teachers continue to bear this additional encumbrance.

The importance of this bill cannot be overemphasized. Twenty-one million young
Filipino minds are educated and shaped by our public school teachers. It is
hereby the duty of the State to ensure that their teaching resources are
sufficient, and working conditions optimal. In view of the foregoing, we eamestly
request the doubling of the "chalk" allowance of public school teachers through
the passage of this bill.

al

LUIS RAYMUI , VILLAFUERTE, JR.

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 1285.

Introduced by HONORABLE LUIS RAYMUND F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE GRANT OF A TEACHING
SUPPLIES ALLOWANCE FOR
PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the "Teaching Supplies
Allowance Act of 2017."

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy — It is hereby declared the policy of the State
to promote and improve the economic status of teachers and assist them in
providing quality education to their students.

SECTION 3. Teaching Supplies Allowance. — A Teaching Supplies Allowance
for the purchase of chalks, erases, forms and other classroom supplies and
materials in the amount of P 3,000.00 per teacher per school is hereby
authorized

SECTION 4. Coverage. — The grant of cash allowance authorized in this Act
shall be limited to teachers who are engaged in actual classroom teaching in
public basic education.

SECTION 5. Funding. — An amount of Three Thousand Pesos (P 3,000.00)
shall be annually appropriated in the General Appropriations Act for the grant of
the Teaching Supplies Allowance: Provided, That in the first year of effectivity of
this Act, the amount of One Thousand Pesos (P 1 000.00) shall be charged
against the current appropriations of the DepEd for the purpose, while, the
amount of Two Thousand Pesos (P 2,000.00) shall be sourced from the fifty
(50%) percent share of the Government in aggregate gross eamings of the


Philippine Gaming Corporations (PAGCOR) after deducting the five (5%)
percent Franchise Tax.

SECTION 6. Periodic Review for Increases. — The Secretary of Education is
hereby mandated to conduct a periodic review of the Teaching Supplies
Allowance, taking into account the current prices of classroom supplies, and, if
warranted, recommend the necessary increase in the amount of the allowance.

SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. — Al laws, decrees, resolutions, orders or
ordinances, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act, are
hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 8. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
after its publication in the Ofi7cial Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of
general circulation.

Approved,