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News
Release
September 09, 2003
Roco appeals to DepEd Chief on case of unpaid teachers
Former Senator and Education Secretary Raul Roco appealed today to Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus to look into the case of some 30 teachers appointed to various teaching positions last year but whose salary have been delayed, some of them for as long as nine months now.
Roco said these teachers were part of a batch of 460 workers in Hong Kong with college degrees in education who decided to come back in the Philippines under the “Balik Turo” program that he instituted while he was the DepEd secretary. They were issued licenses after passing the professional teachers examinations.
He said these teachers had written to him to complain about the delay in the release of their salary, and he had promised that the matter will be brought to the attention of Secretary de Jesus.
“I cannot understand why these teachers have not yet received their pay because the positions to which I appointed them had items with very specific allocations in the DepEd budget,” Roco said.
Added Roco: “I signed their appointment as Secretary of Education and their appointment remains valid even if I am no longer with the department. Whoever is responsible for the delay in the release of their salary is violating the law. Those in the executive branch of the government, the Secretary of Education and even the President, have sworn to uphold the law. They must, therefore, execute the law.”
The former DepEd secretary said that under the civil service law, even a month’s delay in the release of salary is already punishable. He said he will take up this matter with Congress and the Department of Budget and Management so that whoever is at fault will be punished, whether it be a supervisor, superintendent, regional director of undersecretary.”
Roco said that when he was still with the DepEd, his staff made it sure that newly appointed teachers receive their pay starting from the first month of their employment.
“These teachers made an act of sacrifice when they quit their jobs in Hong Kong that gave them higher pay, because they wanted to help our country by helping educate our youth. They were proud to be able to practice their profession, yet they have yet to receive their compensation after nine months. They do not deserve this miserable treatment,” Roco stressed.
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