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Honor teachers with additional incentives, secure jobs – Rep. Vargas


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Honor teachers with additional incentives, secure jobs – Rep. Vargas


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ANILA, Philippines — The best way to honor teachers amid the upcoming National Teachers’ Day celebrations is to push for additional incentives and secure jobs for Filipino educators, Quezon City Representative Patrick Michael Vargas said on Friday.


Vargas, in a statement, said that lawmakers can address two problems hounding the education sector today—teachers leaving their jobs due to low pay and widespread job insecurity—by backing two measures that he filed.


The lawmaker was referring to House Bill (HB) No. 5085, the proposed Distant Public School Teachers Incentive Bill, and House Bill (HB) No. 5083, the proposed Plantilla Positions for Volunteer Teachers Bill, both of which were filed on Thursday.


HB No. 5085 seeks monthly allowances for teachers assigned in far-flung or remote schools, recognizing the hardships of travel, isolation and resource scarcity. Meanwhile, HB No. HB No. 5083 proposes the creation of permanent plantilla positions for volunteer teachers who have served at least five continuous years, provided they meet qualifications and civil service requirements.


 “Learning outcomes are a function of resources and facilities. When teaching personnel are short and employment is not just a bureaucratic concern—they affect students, communities, and the morale of our teachers,” Vargas said.


 “When we lose over 30,000 teaching-related personnel in a year or when volunteer teachers remain on the margins despite years of service, it’s a failure of policy and gratitude,” he added.


According to Vargas, between 2022 and 2023, the number of public school personnel dropped by around 38,000, including teachers, teaching-related, and non-teaching staff.


Similarly, the Department of Education reported that for the 2025-2026 school year, more than 150,000 teaching positions remain either unfilled or temporarily covered by volunteers and contractual hires.


Vargas asked his colleagues in the House of Representatives to support the measures as the country gears to celebrate the National Teacher’s Day on October 5, noting that such policies put teachers at the heart of education reform.


“Our country may be faced with current anomalies, but this should not deter us from addressing perennial concerns that have stagnated the country’s growth, such as its poor learning outcomes,” he added. /cb







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