Teachers’group presses wage hike

January 4, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) vowed yesterday to continue to push for a P15,000 wage increase this year, even as it described 2025 as a ‘fruitful and victorious’ year.

“The gains of 2025 prove that when teachers are organized and persistent, real reforms are possible. These victories were not handed to us, they were won through collective action and sustained pressure,” TDC chairperson Benjo Basas said.

Basas, a senior high school teacher in Caloocan City, urged fellow educators nationwide to make 2026 a more decisive year through a stronger and more united group.

He noted that the key achievements for teachers last year include the refinements in expanded career progression program, restoration of performance-based bonus, continued release of the service recognition and productivity enhancement incentives, clearer policies on working hours and reversion of the school calendar.

“Returning to the June to March school calendar corrected a policy that ignored classroom realities and the experiences of teachers, learners and their communities,” Basas said.

He noted that the grant of a P7,000 medical allowance for state workers and improved benefits for teachers performing election duties are considered as welfare gains.

According to Basas, the Department of Education’s implementation of health and wellness break for teachers was the most tangible and widely felt DepEd reform in 2025.

“This is a long-overdue acknowledgment that teachers are human beings, not machines. Their physical and mental health matter. For the first time, rest and well-being were institutionalized and not treated as a privilege,” Basas said, adding that the TDC will seek to have the health break consistently included in future DepEd school calendars.

Drawing from TDC’s nationwide consultations and surveys, Basas said teachers are entering 2026 with clear, unified and urgent demands.

“The message from teachers is unmistakable: salary increase is the top priority. The call for a P15,000 across-the-board salary increase dominated the consultations and surveys because teachers are barely surviving under rising prices, heavy deductions and stagnant pay,” Basas said, referring to a bill pending before both houses of Congress. 

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