FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
1 
SENATE 
S. No. 1544 
Introduced by Senator JUAN MIGUEL F. ZUBlRl 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Section 5, Article XIV of our Constitution substantially provides that to ensure 
that teaching will attract the best available talents, adequate remuneration and other 
means of satisfaction and fulfillment should be given to the teachers. Unfortunately, this 
provision in our Constitution is not being applied and our teachers are poorly 
compensated despite their high qualifications. In contrast to the provision, they remain 
the most overworked and most underpaid public servants in the government. 
Education is the pillar of national development and progress. But how are we to 
achieve that stage of national development and progress when what we have is a 
mediocre teaching profession which is crippled or tied because their survival instincts 
prevail over their instinct to carry out their duties effectively? How is one able to 
effectively teach when half of his educational instincts is confined to the number of 
goodies he can sell in school or when he has resorted to alternative solutions that 
provide bigger remuneration such as those found in other countries. With numerous 
and consistent surveys conducted regarding the plight of our teachers, it was revealed 
that the family of the typical public school teacher lives below the Philippine poverty 
line--the reason why fewer and fewer have entered this profession. Given this, we can 
indeed say that the teaching profession has lost its luster. 
It has been found by the Congressional Commission on Education that teachers' 
complaints center on three principal problems: namely, low salaries, too many activities 
that are not related to teaching, and non-implementation of existing laws granting 
benefits to teachers. The cornerstone of any public policy to upgrade teachers' quality 
must be the restoration of their dignity and their standard of living. The initial step to 
restore the image of the teaching profession is to uplift the economic condition of the 
teachers. To achieve this, it is imperative that their salaries should be upgraded to that 
level where they could live a decent and respective life. 
While EDCOM's recommendation is to increase the salary levels from Grade 10 
to Grade 17, this Bill's proposal is Grade 18, in view of the fact that the study of 
EDCOM was made in 1991 and implementation of this new scale might suffer certain 
delays. 
To restore the image of the teaching profession and improve the economic plight 
of the teachers, early approval of this Bill is earnestly requested. 


9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
1 
SENATE 
S. No. 1544 
Introduced by Senator JUAN MIGUEL F. ZUBlRl 
AN ACT 
UPGRADING THE MINIMUM SALARY GRADE LEVEL OF PUBLIC SCHOOL 
TEACHERS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY LEVELS FROM GRADE 10 TO 
GRADE 18 AND AUTHORIZING THE APPROPRIATIONS OF FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. It is the policy of the State to give highest budgetary priority to 
education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best 
available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction 
and fulfillment. In pursuance of such policy, this Act provides for the upgrading of 
teachers' salaries commensurate to their educational attainment and professional 
preparation that require them to finish a Bachelor's degree and to pass the Licensure 
Examination for Teachers and considering that teachers are the major components of 
the education process. 
SEC. 2. The provision of any law to the contrary notwithstanding, the present 
minimum salary grade level of public school teachers in the elementary and secondary 
schools shall be upgraded from Grade 10 to Grade 18: Provided however, That the 
salary upgrading shall be differentiated in accordance with the qualifications and length 
of service rendered by the teachers and shall not prejudice or be prejudiced by across 
the board salary adjustments: Provided further, That merit promotion on the basis of 
performance evaluation results shall be considered and treated as separate and distinct 
from the upgraded salary provided for under this Act. Merit promotion on the basis of 
performance evaluation results and recertification shall be awarded yearly. 
SEC. 3. The amount necessary to implement the provisions of this Act shall be 
included in the General Appropriations Act for the year following the approval of this 
Act. 
21 
SEC. 4. The Secretary of Education shall promulgate such necessary rules and 


1 
2 
3 
4 
accordingly. 
5 
6 
APPROVED, 
regulations to implement the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 5. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations or 
parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval. 
2