TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES

Morong, Rizal

GRADUATE STUDIES DEPARTMENT

Professor : DR. NELSON S. GONZALES Subject : Educ. 206

Student : SHARA FAYE M. GALPAO Time : 11:00am – 03:00pm
Date : July 11, 2021

REACTION PAPER NO. 5

1. In 2020, the government has allocated the amount of P3,500.00 for purchase of

school supplies and materials and the amount of P1,500.00 for internet allowance

with a total of P5,000.00 per teacher per year for the cash allowance. Assuming you

were consulted by a congressman, how much would you propose and justify the

proposed amount considering the pandemic crisis and the capability of Duterte

administration to provide additional cash allowance?

Answer:

The modalities in teaching have changed because of the pandemic. We need

to arm our teachers with the proper tools. The financial support worth 5,000 “is not

enough”- nothing that there are 900,000 teachers and not all of them can afford to

pay for internet connection. Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said: “The

[allowance] shall cover the expenses of teachers for the purchase of teaching

supplies and materials … for the implementation or conduct of various modes of

learning delivery.”

But if you’re going to divide the P1,500 [by] 10 months, that’s only P150 … for

internet connectivity. In reality, teachers need to buy a gadget and at least a pocket

Wi-Fi for data connection that would cost them a minimum of P500 a month.

For me, assuming that I we’re consulted by a congressman I will pass the bill

of 7,500 cash allowance that shall cover the following for teachers or those with

teaching load due this pandemic: the annual medical and physical examination

expense; the internet and other communication expenses; and the purchase of

teaching supplies and materials, both “tangible or intangible”. The increasement of

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allowance is a big help for public school teachers and ensures that teachers will

have enough material to educate our students.

Despite the release of the allowances, there was still no basis for the DepEd

to provide teachers with internet or load allowance, expenses that the agency itself

had described as “necessary.” We are still coordinating with DBM (Department of

Budget and Management), also the decision of our President Rodrigo Roa Duterte

on the adjustment and policy guideline that we can use to reprogram our plan and

budget to accommodate funding for this need.

According to ABS-CBN News Under the 2021 budget, P4.36 billion has been

allocated for the said allowance, Angara told ABS-CBN News in a text message.

Senate Bill No. 1092 states that teachers' school supplies allowance will be

increased to the following levels accordingly:

SY 2021-2020 and 2022-2023 - P5,000

SY 2023-2024 - P7,500

SY 2024-2025 - P10,000

This increase in allowance is a big help for public school teachers because

they have more needs now and other paraphernalia, due to distance learning. The

ACT expressed gratitude to senators for approving the measure last November, but

said “increasing it to P15,000 immediately is what would really ease the teachers’

heavier financial burdens brought about by the requirements of distance learning.”

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