Teachers Drowning in Debt as Salaries Fail to Meet Living Costs, ACT Warns
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines has issued a stark warning, highlighting that Filipino educators are sinking deeper into financial distress, with an overwhelming majority trapped in debt due to inadequate compensation. According to the group, nine out of ten rank-and-file teachers earn salaries far below the family living wage, a situation exacerbated by the Salary Standardization Law's failure to deliver meaningful pay hikes.
Systemic Neglect Forces Educators into Borrowing Cycle
ACT emphasized that teachers are not buried in debt due to financial irresponsibility, but because their salaries have long been grossly insufficient. How can anyone manage an income that vanishes the moment it arrives, automatically swallowed by loan payments, rising costs, and relentless bills in the midst of an unending crisis? the group questioned. They argue that successive administrations have consistently ignored calls for substantial salary increases, offering only measly, staggered raises that are quickly wiped out by inflation.
For decades, wage hikes have been stingy and piecemeal, only to be clawed back through regressive taxes and mounting mandatory contributions. This is why teachers are driven to desperate measures just to get by and support their families, ACT stated. It is the system itself that turns us into professional borrowers, because our salaries are far from professional.
Demands for Livable Wages and Threat of Escalated Action
The alliance reiterated its long-standing demand for decent, livable wages for all education workers. This includes:
- A P50,000 entry-level salary for teachers across public and private institutions, from basic to higher education.
- A P36,000 base pay for Salary Grade 1 employees.
ACT expressed refusal to tolerate a government that neglects the workers who deliver the right to education and keep the system running despite worsening conditions. Enough of the excuses, they declared, pointing to hundreds of billions squandered on corruption and political patronage while the government claims it cannot afford decent salaries.
If the government continues to turn its back, ACT warned that teachers and education workers will not remain silent. We will bring our fight from the classrooms to the parliament of the streets, they asserted, prepared to march, strike, and walk out until forced to listen. A system that exploits and neglects teachers cannot stand unchallenged, concluded Ruby Bernardo, Chairperson of ACT Philippines.
