The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines today slammed the delayed implementation of the second tranche of salary increases under Salary Standardization Law (SSL) VI, as most teachers and government workers receive their first pay for 2025 without the anticipated adjustment.
“This delay is adding insult to injury. The SSL VI increase of merely P50 per day was already an insult to teachers and government workers struggling with soaring prices. In January alone, higher SSS contributions and utility rates, and continued increases in food prices have taken effect, while fare hikes are being proposed for the coming months. Yet, the government still fails to deliver the paltry salary adjustment on time. Binarat na nga ang umento, delayed pa ang pagbibigay,” lamented Vladimer Quetua, ACT Chairperson.
ACT received reports that salaries received by teachers today do not include the salary adjustment for 2025, same for some localities wherein school and division administrators looked for ways to implement the adjustment while the national government is yet to release the memorandum and funds for it.
ACT argued that the current inflation figures, which met the 2024 target of the Marcos Jr. administration, do not automatically translate into better living conditions as prices of food and basic needs are still beyond ordinary Filipinos’ meager means, with wages and salaries falling significantly short of the family living wage of P1,223 per day or P36,690 per month.
“The administration’s self-congratulatory stance about meeting inflation targets is a cruel joke when teachers and education workers cannot even afford basic necessities. Rice retail price remains high at P64 per kilo while vegetables and other staples remain prohibitively expensive. The gap between salaries and the cost of living continues to widen. Our call for a substantial salary increase is all the more urgent and just amid the worsening economic crisis,” Quetua added.
ACT reiterated its call for substantial salary increases for teachers, government employees, and private sector workers with specific demands such as P55,000 entry-level pay for teachers in both public and private, P33,000 for Salary Grade 1 (SG1) employees, P33,000 national minimum wage, and SG16 for Instructor 1.
ACT also called on teachers and education workers to join the January 31 People’s Protest against poverty, corruption, and impunity to hold the Marcos Jr. administration accountable for its continued neglect of the people’s welfare and to demand justice for the Dutertes’ atrocities, plunder of public funds, and betrayal of the Filipino people.#
