Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

547

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,

GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,

Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A. MANUEL

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A TEACHING SUPPLIES ALLOWANCE FOR PUBLIC
SCHOOL TEACHERS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Public school teachers are among the lowest paid professionals in our society
In spite of this. they are often forced to pay for everyday classroom supplies out of
their own pockets,

Traditionally, the government provides classroom teachers with an annual
allowance for classroom supplies. popularly known as a “chalk allowance” allotted to
purchase classroom essentials such as chalks, erasers, forms and other supplies and
materials. Due to the consistent push of ACT Teachers Party-List for greater subsidy
for education and less burden to the pockets of teachers for expenses necessary for
teaching. the “chalk allowance” was increased from P700 per teacher per school year
(P3.50 per school day) in 2011 to P3,500 (P16.83 per school day) in 2018. The
teaching supplies allowance was increased to P5,000 in the 2022 General
Appropriations Act but this is due to the consolidation in the benefit of the medical
allowance (P50) and the internet allowance (P1000),

However, this amount is not enough to cover the costs of supplies including
pens, pencils, notebooks, class records, manila paper, cartolina, bond paper, art paper,
even ICT needs, that are essential for the daily functioning of teaching and learning in
the classroom. With the imposition and half-baked implementation of the


insufficiently funded K to 12 Program, public schools were not given enough number
of copies of teachers’ guides and learners’ materials to be used in adopting the new
curriculum. Schools’ budgets for miscellaneous and other operating expenses are still
insulficient to cover the needs for instruction

Hence, teachers must draw from their own finances to pay for these materials
which, in the first place, should be provided by the government.

This bill proposes to increase the annual allowance for classroom supplies from
P1.500 to P5,000 (or P24.63 per day). thereby easing this onerous financial burden of
teachers.

First filed in the 15" Congress (7 February 2011), this was approved by the
Commitiee on Basic Education of the House of Representatives and the Senate on
third reading during the 17" Congress

Immediate approval of this bill is therefore sought

. ARLEME D. BROSAS Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A, MANUEL,
GABRIELA Women’s Party KABATAAN Party-List



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 547

Introduced
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. FR/
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,
and KABATAAN Part Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A, MANU

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A TEACHING SUPPLIES ALLOWANCE FOR PUBLIC
SCHOOL TEACHERS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

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

SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be known and cited as the “Teaching Supplies
Allowance Act of 2022.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared to be 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, erasers. forms, and other classroom supplies and materials in the
amount of Five thousand pesos (5,000.00) per teacher per school year is hereby
authorized

SECTION 4. Coverage. The grant of the 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. \n the first year of the effectivity of this Act, the amount of
‘Two thousand five hundred pesos (P2.500.00) per teacher per school year, shall be


charged against the current appropriation of the Department of Education (DepEd) for
the Teaching Supplies Allowance, while the additional amount of Two thousand five
hundred pesos (P2,S00.00) per teacher per school year, shall be charge against any
available funds and/or savings of the DepEd. Thercafter, the amount of Five thousand
pesos (P5,000.00) per teacher per school year, shall be included in the DepEd budget
for the Teaching Supplies Allowance under the General Appropriations Act

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. All laws, decrees. resolutions. orders or ordinances.
rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed,
amended or modified accordingly

SECTION 6. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general
circulation,

Approved,