Following the deaths of five Department of Education personnel in Isabela and the continuing spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the government anew, including the Education department, to uphold the welfare of teachers.
For the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, upholding the welfare of teachers entails the strict enforcement of the alternative work arrangement, the assurance of access to COVID-19 testing, treatment for those who would contract the virus and the prioritization of teachers in the vaccination program.
Last year, the DepEd said its personnel were covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
The Employees’ Compensation Commission also offers the Employees’ Compensation Program, which provides income, medical and other health benefits in the event of work-related sickness, injury or death.
The School Division Office in Isabela earlier announced that it had reached out to the grieving families to provide urgent assistance and facilitate the expeditious release of benefits.
According to the DepEd, the infections were acquired through community transmission and not work-related.
Teachers’ groups, however, have been clamoring on the DepEd to extend financial assistance to personnel who get sick with COVID-19, claiming that teachers who got infected did not receive financial assistance from the government.
They said that any financial assistance extended to them comes from personal contributions or personal help from some government officials.
The lawmaker concluded by reiterating his push to move teachers up in the COVID-19 vaccination priority list. Teachers are currently in the B1 category with other social workers.
Teachers should instead be in the A4 priority list with the frontline personnel of other essential sectors, Gatchalian said.
The Senate’s Adopted Resolution 92, which Gatchalian sponsored, also called for the prioritization of teachers in the COVID-19 vaccination program.