Si OF REPRESENTATIVES
Republic of the Philippines | RECEIVED

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES :
Batasan Hills, Quezon City | DATE: 30 JM 7016

TIME:

| 3: a é
BY:_/
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS oo"

First Regular Session REGISTRATION UNTT
BILLS AND INDEX SERVIC!
hace ee SER MICE

* 474

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by ACT Teachers Party-List
Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO and Rep. FRANCISCA L. CASTRO

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. In the Department of Education budget for 2011, this cash allowance
amounted to P700 per teacher per school year, or P3.50 per school day (given 203
school days for SY 2010-2011). Beginning 2012, this allowance was raised to P1,000 per
teacher per school year, or P4.98 per school day (given an average of 201 school days
since SY 2011-2012). The 2016 budget allotted P1,500 per teacher per school year, or
P7.43 per school day (202 school days for SY 2016-2017).

Such a meager amount is not enough to cover the costs of supplies includiig
pens, pencils, notebooks, class records, manila paper, cartolina, bond paper, art paper,
and others, 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.

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 P24.75 per day), thereby relieving teachers of this onerous financial
burden.

This was approved by the Committee on Basic Education during the 16"
Congress.

Immediate approval of this bill is therefore sought.

Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO Rep. FRI
ACT Teachers Party-List A

casTRO
rty-List,


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

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

74

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by ACT Teachers Party-List
Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO and Rep. FRANCISCA L. CASTRO

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 2016.” .

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. The cash allowance to teachers for the
purchase of chalks, erasers, forms, and other classroom supplies and materials as
provided in the annual appropriations for the Department of Education shall be known
as the Teaching Supplies Allowance. The amount provided shall be increased from One
Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (P1,500.00) to Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) per
teacher per school year. Said allowance shall be paid only to classroom teachers.


SECTION 4. 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. The amount required to cover the
increase shall be included in the Department's budget proposal for the next fiscal year.

SECTION 5. Appropriations. Such sums as may be necessary for the implementation of
this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 6. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after it
publication in the Official Gazetted or one (1) newspaper of general circulation.

Approved, .