Teachers held a demonstration in front of the Department of Budget (DBM) to seek higher pay.
Louie Zabala from the Manila Public School Teachers Association says, government must at least raise the pay of teachers in the entry level.
The teachers are asking that the amount for new teachers be adjusted from P 20 thousand to P 25 thousand.
In response, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno says, DBM will look for funds to augment the teachers' salaries.
He explains, the salaries of the soldiers and policemen were increased to almost double the amount of their former salaries because these government workers were receiving much lower salaries compared to the teachers.
Diokno also notes, the pay increase will not have any effect on the pensions of retired policemen and soldiers.
This is because retired uniformed personnel were not included in the allocation.
He nevertheless says, government will find a way so that an increase for retired cops and government troopers will not have to come from the annual national budget.