‘Hindi lang singilan ang PTA’ — Teachers’ group rebuts Tulfo, dares him to fix budget woes

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) pushed back against Senator Raffy Tulfo’s statement that Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings are mostly about collecting money for school projects instead of discussing students’ academic performance.

TDC national chairperson Benjo Basas said PTA meetings cover many topics, with the academic standing of students as the main agenda. This is why these gatherings are often held alongside the quarterly release of report cards.

“Maraming pinag-uusapan sa PTA meeting at isa lamang dito ang mga proyekto na isinusulong ng mga magulang batay sa kanilang nakikitang pangangailangan ng paaralan at sa kanilang kagustuhang makatulong. Hindi ito hinihingi ng mga guro at lalong hindi sapilitan [Many things are discussed in PTA meetings, and one of these is projects proposed by parents based on what they see as the school’s needs and their willingness to help. These are not requested by teachers, and certainly not mandatory],” Basas said.

He added that under Department of Education (DepEd) policy, even if parents agree to fund a project, contributions remain voluntary.

The group urged Tulfo take a lead role in pushing for a bigger education budget, particularly for the maintenance and operating expenses (MOOE) of schools.

According to Basas, school heads have long complained that the funds they receive are insufficient to cover essential expenses.

“Ang tunay na dahilan ng problema ay ang napakaliit na pondong inilalaan ng gobyerno para sa maintenance at operation ng mga paaralan. Kaya ang panawagan namin kay Sen. Tulfo at sa Kongreso, abay bigyan ng sapat na pondo ang mga paaralan upang matugunan ang mga pangangailangan tulad ng pagpapaayos ng kubeta, pambayad sa kuryente, internet at tubig, pag-hire ng security guard, at iba pa, [The real reason behind the problem is the very small budget the government allocates for the maintenance and operation of schools. That’s why we are calling on Sen. Tulfo and Congress to provide enough funds so schools can address needs such as repairing toilets, paying for electricity, internet, and water, hiring security guards, and more],” Basas said.

He noted that if these needs are met, PTAs would have no reason to ask for contributions for items like electric fans, paint, brooms, or floor wax—expenses that are supposed to be shouldered by the government.

“Kinikilala ng DepEd ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa pribadong sektor, kaya may PTA, may community linkages at may Brigada Eskwela na tumutulong sa mga paaralan. Ito ay dahil kulang na kulang, kapos na kapos at talagang hindi sapat ang pondong inilalaan ng pamahalaan. At bilang senador at bahagi ng Kongreso, malaki ang maitutulong ni Idol Sen. Raffy Tulfo sa usaping ito As a senator and part of Congress, Idol Sen. Raffy Tulfo can make a big contribution to this matter],” Basas added.

Basas said the TDC is open to meeting Tulfo to discuss the matter.

“Kung mayroong katiwalian sa mga paniningil na ito ay hindi naman namin kukunsintihin. Kaya gusto rin naming makausap si Idol Raffy ukol dito [If there is corruption involved in these collections, we will not tolerate it. That’s why we also want to talk to Idol Raffy about this],” he said, adding that the group will send Tulfo a formal letter.