By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — Around 150 teachers of public Elementary and Highs Schools in Sagada, Mountain Province expressed their interest to join their fellow educators in the region in the formation of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Cordillera Administrative Region-Union (ACT-CAR-Union).

Vicente Toca of ACT-Cordillera said that during the Sagada District Teachers’ Assembly which was also attended by the district supervisors and school principals on June 12 held at the Sagada Central School, the participants were surprised to know that there is an existing regional union of public school teachers. He said that they adopted the concept and idea of a regional formation which is focused on advancing the teachers’ economic welfare and democratic rights.

The said teachers’ union was formally established on April 13 at the Quezon Elementary School. The regional executive board is headed by Valentina Castro of Magsaysay High School.

According to Toca, the teachers were given an orientation on the principles and objectives of ACT union during the assembly. Among the topics discussed in the said activity is the K+12 program which is on its first year of implementation. He said that according to some of the teachers, they have yet to observe how things will be going in the flow of the program.

One of the concerns however he said is that the teachers have to adjust their teaching abilities and techniques as they are encouraged to use the mother tongue in the area where they are teaching in their subjects. The teachers said that they have no problems yet in terms of the numbers of classrooms and teachers.

Toca said that they also presented the national campaign of ACT for the passage into law of House Bill 2142 or an act upgrading the minimum salary grade of public school teachers from salary grade 11 to 15 . The said act was introduced to the House of Congress by ACT Party List Representative Antonio Tinio. In Salary Grade 11, teachers receive a monthly compensation of P15,649 while Salary Grade 15 amounts to P24,887. “This will ensure the teachers a reasonable standard of living together with their families,” Toca added.

ACT-Cordillera has been giving orientation on the ACT regional union in the different provinces and municipalities of the region. Toca said they held consultations in Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Baguio and now in Sagada. He added that almost all of the teachers in the said areas responded positively to the creation of the teacher’s union. He said there are also schedules of consultation in other parts of the Cordillera. # nordis.net