Public school teachers expressed disappointment over the recent salary increase announced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. They argue that the adjustment is insufficient to meet the rising costs of living, leaving many educators struggling to make ends meet.

On Aug. 12, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released National Budget Circular No. 594, implementing the first tranche of salary adjustments under Executive Order No. 64. 

The DBM stated that agencies can process the payment retroactive to January 2024. 

However, teachers and government employees criticized the increase, noting that the lowest-paid workers will see only a P513 monthly raise, which is about P24 a day. 

Entry-level teachers will receive an increase of P1,512 per month.

“This simply does not keep pace with the rising costs of living,” said Benjo Basas, national chairperson of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition. 

Many teachers feel that these adjustments leave them struggling to meet their daily needs. 

He added that the DBM’s decision to leave the implementation to individual agencies raises concerns about potential delays and confusion. 

“We can expect potential confusion, if not chaos,” noted Basas.

Some agencies may process the adjustments quickly, while larger ones, like the Department of Education (DepEd), could face significant delays.

DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman announced the signing of the circulars, saying, “We will release it, publish it tomorrow [Aug. 13], and the national government agencies can already compute the adjustment of the salary of our workers.” 

She mentioned that the average total salary increase would be around 18 percent over four years, starting this year and ending in 2027.

Teachers argue that they deserve a separate salary scheme that reflects their contributions to society. 

They are actively supporting legislative efforts to increase compensation for public educators.