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ITO PO ANG SAGOT NG TDC SA ISYU NA YAN, ANG ACTUAL CONTENT NG SULAT NATIN KAY SEC. BRIONES NA NAIPADALA NGAYON LANG SA CENTRAL OFFICE:

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22 October 2017

DR. LEONOR MAGTOLIS-BRIONES

Secretary 

Department of Education

DepEd Complex, Pasig City

 

Greetings of peace!

Madam;

We would like to bring to your attention the urgent issue in the field in relation to the deductions made by the Department of Education (DepEd) thru the respective Regional Payroll Services Units (RPSU) for the salary of DepEd teachers for the month of October. This, according to our initial inquiries is in accordance with the DepEd Order No. 28, s. 2017 (Further Clarifications to DepEd Order Nos. 12 and 27, S. 2017 - Implementation of P4,000.00 Net Take Home Pay for Department of Education Personnel), which is based on Sec. 47 of the General Provisions of General Appropriations Act of 2017. Many teachers were shocked upon learning that the salaries they received for this month were below the net take-home pay of P4, 000.00, some received only P600 pesos. 

Madam, it is unimaginable that a teachers’ family will be able to live on a P600.00 budget for a month. While we recognize that teachers, or any borrower at that, have their obligations to the lending institutions, it is also clear in the rules that the DepEd is duty bound to ensure that teachers are eligible for the loans. Furthermore, the DepEd, thru the respective RPSUs has the obligation to effect the deductions for loan amortization as stipulated in the loan forms and even in the agreement of the DepEd with the private lending institutions (PLIs).  As to the public loan facilities under GSIS or HMDF or even DepEd Provident Fund, it is expected that the deductions for these shall be prioritized by the DepEd. Yet in many cases, deductions for PLIs were made ahead of the GSIS deductions, which is a violation of rules. Clearly these violations resulted to the present dilemma where teachers are deeply fallen in debt because of the compounded interests charged against them both by the PLIs and government loan facilities. 

Teachers have nothing to do with the implementation of these policies and they should not be penalized for others’ fault. This recent deliberate deductions below the NTHP is another big blow to the teachers and their families who are highly dependent on their minimum take-home pay of P4, 000.00 for a month of living. Given this situation, teachers will now look for alternatives to make ends meet, one of them obviously is again to plead to loan sharks which will perpetuate and worsen their already dismal economic situation. 

Madam, we recognize that there is a problem on the mindset of most of our employees in relation with financial management, but we also believe that this abrupt and unforeseen solution of the DepEd creates more problems than solution. May we appeal for your consideration to immediately suspend the implementation of the DepEd Order No. 38, s. 2017 and initiate the widest consultation possible so that we will all be able to discuss the situation in the field and come up with a better solution.

Finally, we are very much willing to collaborate with the DepEd management to promote and strengthen financial literacy for our employees.  But most of all, please be one with us in our struggle for a better compensation package specifically the P10, 000 across the board increase in the salaries of teachers and DepEd employees. 

  

Thank you very much! 

Respectfully yours, 

BENJO G. BASAS

National Chairperson