The newly-enacted law increasing the teaching supplies allowance of teachers will help reduce the burden of our educators and allow them to better perform their duties, Senator Sonny Angara said today.

As one of the authors of the law, Angara thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for supporting the measure, which he said is highly anticipated by the country’s public school teachers.

“Increasing the teaching supplies allowance or the chalk allowance will result in fewer instances when teachers have to make out of pocket expenses in the performance of their duties. Our overworked and underpaid educators should always be supported and initiatives such as these will go a long way in showing our appreciation of what they do for our children’s development,” Angara said.

In the past five years as chairman of the Committee on Finance, Angara saw to it that the country’s public school teachers always received their teaching supplies allowance.

Under the 2020 General Appropriations Act, a total of P3.25 billion was allocated for the P3,500 teaching supplies allowance for over 930,000 teachers.

From 2021 onwards, the teaching supplies allowance was raised to P5,000 for each teacher, even before the institutionalization of the grant of these funds and even when there was no mandate to increase the amounts.

With the new law, the teaching supplies allowance would go up to P10,000 annually for all public school teachers. This is not subject to income tax.

The amount would cover the purchase of tangible and intangible teaching supplies and materials, the payment of incidental expenses, and the implementation or conduct of various learning delivery modalities.

Looking back at the history of the teaching supplies allowance, in 2010 and 2011, each teacher received a mere P700 annually.

This went up to P1,000 for the years 2012 to 2014 and was increased further to P1,500 in 2015 and 2016.

In 2017, Congress increased the amount to P2,500 and in the following year up to 2020, the teaching supplies allowance was pegged at P3,500 a year.

“Nakita natin na napakaliit talaga ng halaga na binibigay sa ating mga guro noong mga nakaraang mga taon. Sa loon ng isang dekada ay nasa P700 hanggang P3,500 lang ang chalk allowance kaya hindi na kataka-taka na kinakailangan pa lagi na mag abono ang mga guro para lang makabili ng mga kagamitan na kailangan nila sa pagturo,” Angara said.

“Sa bagong batas na pinirmahan ngayong araw ay mas makatarungan na ang halaga para sa teaching supplies allowance. Ito ay bahagi ng pagbibigay halaga natin sa mahalagang trabahong ginagampanan ng ating mga guro para sa ating mga anak,” the Senator added.

The Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management, is tasked to come up with the implementing rules and regulations (IRR), within 60 days from the approval of the law.

But even if there is no IRR after the 60-day period, Angara explained that the law will still still be effective 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.

Angara also thanked Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation chairman Ramon Revilla Jr. for sponsoring the measure.