Two militant lawmakers on Friday sought a congressional investigation into the alleged failure of the Department of Education to implement a vital provision of a law that was passed more than half a century ago.
In filing House Resolution 1759, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep Antonio Tinio and France Castro said the DepEd allegedly failed to provide the medical benefits for teachers mandated by Magna Carta for Public School Teachers.
“For 51 years, the law has assured public school teachers free compulsory medical examination and treatment and compensation for injuries. For 51 years, the government has failed to make these mandates a reality,” said Tinio.
Since the enactment of Republic Act 4670 or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers in 1966, the two lawmakers said its provisions mandating health benefits for teachers, such as free compulsory medical examination and treatment and compensation for injuries were never implemented.
“It is about time for our public school teachers to know the reasons for government’s neglect to provide their legally mandated benefits, which include zero funding,” Castro said. Maricel V. Cruz
The resolution cited Section 22 of RA 4670 which provides that “Compulsory medical examination shall be provided free of charge for all teachers before they take up teaching, and shall be repeated not less than once a year during the teacher’s professional life. Where medical examination show[s] that medical treatment and/or hospitalization is necessary, [the] same shall be provided free by the government entity paying the salary of the teachers. In regions where there is scarcity of medical facilities, teachers may obtain elsewhere the necessary medical care with the right to be reimbursed for their traveling expenses by the [said] government entity.”