Navotas lone district Rep. John Reynald Tiangco is seeking to increase the minimum salaries of public-school teachers and non-teaching personnel and give them additional incentives.
With House Bill 877, Tiangco pushed for a salary grade of 15, or P30,531 for entry level licensed teachers, and SG 10 or P19,233 for non-teaching personnel.
The neophyte lawmaker also proposed that both teachers and non-teachers be given a P5,000 augmentation pay per month, P10,000 medical allowance per year, and free tuition and registration fees in relevant graduate courses or continuing education programs in all state colleges and universities.
“Teachers play a significant role in honing the minds of our children, and in shaping their moral character and civic consciousness. It is only imperative that they be compensated adequately, fairly, and competitively,” said Tiangco.
He added that the bill intends to “affirm the respect due our educators, motivate them to continue their exemplary service, elevate their quality of life, and encourage the best and brightest among our people to enter the teaching profession.”
HB 877 covers all teaching and non-teaching personnel in all public schools for basic education, whether nationally or locally funded, including those employed in the Philippine Science High School System.
It also includes teaching and non-teaching staff of the Alternative Learning System, and all non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education who are not occupying positions with salary grade 20 and up.
As of January 2019, an entry level licensed teacher only receives P20,754 a month and non-teaching support personnel get P11,068 a month.
Meanwhile, another barangay in Navotas has received drug-cleared certification from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Mayor Toby Tiangco, together with Rep. John Rey Tiangco, handed the certificate to Brgy. Captain Carlito de Guzman, Sr. and other officials of Brgy. Tanza I Monday after flag ceremony.
“Five barangays have already been drug-cleared. We should continue our intensified campaign against illegal drugs and strive to have all 18 barangays cleared from the drug menace,” Mayor Tiangco said.
Other barangays that have been declared drug-cleared included Navotas East, North Bay Boulevard South Dagat-dagatan, San Rafael Village, and Tanza II.
The mayor urged Navoteños to report illegal activities regardless if the perpetrators are public servants.
“We will not condone any wrongdoing. You have our 100 percent support,” he added.
Navotas has a Text JRT (JohnRey or Toby) facility that receives feedbacks, complaints or reports from residents.
A barangay is considered drug-cleared when it has zero drug supply, drug den, pushers, users, and drug laboratory as of the date the PDEA certification has been signed.
It also needs to have a drug-free workplace; barangay officials who are actively advocating for anti-drug activities; a drug awareness, preventive education and information; and a voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation processing desk.
Navotas conducts a community-based treatment and rehabilitation program called Bidahan for drug users willing to change their ways.
Bidahan participants initially engage in a three-day retreat where they learn about the effects of drugs in their body and ways to avoid getting hooked into substance abuse.
They then undergo a twice-a-week counseling sessions for six months and an aftercare program for 18 months.
Bidas, as the participants are called, undergo random drug testing to check their faithfulness to the program.
Since it started in October 2016, the Bidahan now has 21 batches composed of 561 participants. Of this, 107 have completed the 6-month counseling and 10 have finished the 18-month aftercare treatment.