Philippine public school teachers finally have reason to celebrate after a new law guarantees them an annual allowance hike for teaching supplies.

The “Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act,” signed into law recently, will provide educators with P10,000 (about $170) teaching supplies allowance (TSA) annually starting in the 2025-2026 school year. This doubles the current P5,000 allowance.

Representative France Castro, a long-time advocate for the legislation and principal author of the House measure, hailed the enactment as “a long-overdue recognition of the crucial role our teachers play.”

“With the signing of the TSA Act, our hardworking teachers will finally have the necessary funds to purchase the teaching tools they need to deliver quality education to our students,” Castro told Politiko.

The law represents the culmination of over a decade of effort by Castro and her party-list group, ACT Teachers. They first filed the proposal in Congress back in 2011.

“I am thrilled that after years of perseverance, our teachers will finally receive the support they deserve,” Castro said in a statement. “The TSA Act is a testament to the power of persistence and collective action.”

The Department of Education (DepEd) will be responsible for administering the allowance program. The additional funding is expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of public school teachers across the Philippines.

The new law has been met with enthusiasm by educators. Many expressed hope that the increased allowance will help them better equip their classrooms and improve the learning experience for their students.

Melisa Manuel commenting on the ACT Teachers’ announcement on Facebook, wrote, “Salamat sa walang sawang pakikibaka para sa mga guro! [Thank you for the tireless struggle for the teachers!]”

A certain Nel Caramat also expressed eagerness about the development: “Marami pa tayong pagsasamahan para sa ikabubuti ng mga guro. [We still have many more collaborations for the betterment of teachers.]”