Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
 First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO 
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Under Article II, Section 18 of the 1987 Constitution, “[t]he State
affirms labor as a primary social economic force,” thus vowing to “protect
the rights of workers and promote their welfare.” In connection, under
Article XIII, Section 3(2), it is declared that workers “shall be entitled to…
humane conditions of work…and a living wage.”
Given these provisions, State has a two-fold duty to public-school
teachers:  (1)  subsidizing  their  expenses  on  teaching  materials,  by
providing  them  with  an  adequate  allowance  for  such  purchases;  (2)
covering the costs of their professional development needs.
Teachers do have the so-called ‘chalk allowance.’ The Department
of Education’s (DepEd) Order No. 10, s. 2020 discusses this thusly:1
I.
PURPOSE
1.
In  the  constant  effort  to  capacitate  and  empower  the  teachers,  the
Department of Education (DepEd) is continuously expanding their welfare and
benefits through the grant of Cash Allowance to Teachers, formerly known as
the Chalk Allowance. This allowance is intended to augment the expenses
incurred/spent  by  teachers  in  the  actual  performance  of  their  teaching
responsibilities.
2.
The actual amount of the allowance to be given shall be governed by the
provision indicated in the approved general appropriations act (GAA) of the
current year.
a.
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, Special Provision No. 10 of the Republic Act
(RA) No. 11645. the GAA for FY 2020. or An Act Appropriating Funds for
the Operation of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines
from January One to December Thirty-One, Two Thousand and Twenty,
and for Other Purposes, stated that the Cash Allowance to Teachers
shall be used for the payment of Three Thousand Five Hundred
1 Mark Anthony Llego, “DepEd Guidelines on the Grant of Cash Allowance to Teachers,” TeacherPH, June 8, 
2020, available at https://www.teacherph.com/deped-guidelines-cash-allowance-teachers/. 
July 13, 2022
4:43 pm
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Pesos (P3,500.00) per classroom teacher for every school year
for the purchase of teaching supplies and materials.
b.
For  succeeding  years,  the  amount  shall  depend  on  the  approved
allocation to be indicated in the GAA.
II.
SCOPE OF THE POLICY
1.
The Cash Allowance shall be granted to all permanent and provisional
teachers, including Alternative Learning System (ALS) Mobile Teachers
and  District  ALS  Coordinators  (DALSCs),  in  all public  elementary,
junior, and senior high schools, and community learning centers, who
are in sendee1 in DepEd for the current school year, and assigned with
at least one teaching load.
Teachers who are in service in DepEd as of the official first day of the
school up to 30 calendar days after the start of the school year shall
be entitled to the full amount of the Cash Allowance. Teachers whose
assumption to duty is beyond 30 days after the official first day of
school shall be entitled to the Cash Allowance on a pro-rata basis.
2.
Public School Teachers are defined in RA No. 4670 or the Magna Carta
for  Public  School  Teachers,  as  All  persons  engaged  in  classroom
teaching,  in  any  level  of  instruction,  on  full-time  basis,  including
guidance  counselors,  school  librarians,  industrial  arts  or vocational
instructors,  and  all  other  persons  performing  supervisory  and/or
administrative  functions  in  all  schools,  colleges,  and  universities
operated by the government or its political subdivisions; but this shall
not  include  school  nurses,  school  physicians,  school  dentists,  and
other school employees. (emphasis in the original)
But there are two problems with this that make it insufficient as a
form of meaningful aid for our teachers: 1) given the new expenses that
come with our shift to blended learning, Php3,500.00 is hardly enough to
cover our teachers’ needs, especially if they are footing the monthly bill
for their house’s internet connection; and 2) this does not cover their
expenses  for  their  professional  growth,  which they are  constrained  to
pursue via seminars, training programs, and the like.
Neither of these expenses should be shouldered by our teachers.
They should not be pinned down in an impossible situation where they
have no choice but to reinvest their wages into the performance of their
duties.
This Bill presents a solution. It creates the Cost of Teaching and
Learning Continuity Allowance (COTALCA), amounting to P5,000.00 per
month for each school year, which shall benefit all public-school teachers.
COTALCA shall cover the personal expenses of teachers for their teaching
supplies and materials, preparation of lesson plans, and for conduct of
various modes of learning delivery, and/or to pursue continuous learning
opportunities  for  their  professional  development,  such  as  attending
traditional education seminars, joining digital or online education training
programs, or other teaching development opportunities of their choice.


It  is  for  the  foregoing  premises  that the  approval  of  this  Bill  is
earnestly sought.
ALFRED C. DELOS SANTOS
Representative, Ang Probinsyano Party-List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
 First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO 
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
AN ACT 
GRANTING COST OF TEACHING AND LEARNING CONTINUITY
ALLOWANCE TO 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. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Allowance
ni Titser Act.”
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy – Education is essential in national
and economic development. It is the policy of the State to promote and
improve the economic status and professional advancement of teachers
so that they may compare favorably with other walks of life. The State
shall also endeavor to attract and retain more individuals with suitable
qualifications in the teaching profession and provide them the opportunity
for continuous learning.
To this end, the Government shall grant public school teachers an
additional  benefit to cushion the  impact of the  costs  of teaching and
learning continuity.
SECTION 3.  Coverage. – This Act shall be limited to all permanent
and  provisional  teachers,  including  Alternative  Learning  System  (ALS),
Mobile  Teachers, and  District  ALS Coordinators  (DALSCs), in all public
elementary,  junior,  and  senior  high  schools  and  community  learning
centers, who are in service in the Department of Education for the current
school year, and assigned with at least one teaching load.
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SECTION  4.  Cost  of  Teaching  and Learning  Continuity  Allowance
(COTALCA).  –  A  Cost  of  Teaching  and  Learning  Continuity  Allowance
(COTALCA) amounting to Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) per month for
each school year is hereby granted to all public school teachers covered
under this Act.
Cost of Teaching and Learning Continuity Allowance is the amount
of money a public school teacher receives in addition to their basic salary
to cover the personal expenses of teachers for their teaching supplies and
materials, preparation of lesson plans, and conduct of various modes of
learning delivery, and to pursue continuous learning opportunities for their
professional  development,  such  as  attending  traditional  education
seminars, joining digital or online education training programs or other
teaching development opportunities of their choice.
SECTION 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within thirty (30)
days from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Education (DepEd),
in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM),
the  Department  of  Finance  (DoF),  and  other  concerned  government
agencies, shall formulate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out
the provisions of this Act.
The implementing rules and regulations shall be published in the
Official Gazette or any newspaper of general circulation.
SECTION 6.  Appropriations. –  The amount necessary to implement
the  provisions  of  this  Act  shall  be  included  in  the  Annual  General
Appropriations Act.
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act
is  held  invalid  or  unconstitutional,  the  remaining  provisions  or  parts
unaffected shall remain in full force and effect.
SECTION  8.  Repealing  Clause. –  All  laws,  executive  orders,
presidential  decrees  or  issuances,  letters  of  instruction,  administrative
orders,  rules,  and  regulations  contrary  to  or  inconsistent  with  the
provisions  of  this  Act  are  hereby  repealed,  amended,  or  modified
accordingly.
SECTION 9. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of
general circulation.
Approved,