Congress assures P910M funding for World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit

The country’s over 900,000 public school teachers are expected to receive their P1,000 World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit (WTDIB) without any delay, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said on Tuesday.

“The amount of P910 million meant to pay for the WTDIB of public school teachers is itemized and fully funded in this year’s General Appropriations Act,” Campos said.

“In fact, we’ve also earmarked another P925 million to pay for the WTDIB in the 2022 national budget,” Campos, House appropriations committee vice chairperson, said.

“We expect a greater number of newly hired teachers to receive the benefit next year, thus the bigger funding,” Campos said.

Campos said a provision in the budget stipulates that the WTDIB “shall be granted during the annual World Teachers’ Day celebration in the amount of P1,000 per teacher, subject to the guidelines issued by the Department of Education (DepEd).”

Campos co-sponsored the DepEd budget during plenary deliberations on the proposed P5.024-trillion General Appropriations Act of 2022.

Oct. 5 is observed every year as World Teachers’ Day. “Teachers at the heart of education recovery” is the theme of this year’s celebration.

The day marks the anniversary of the global adoption of a document that proclaimed the rights and responsibilities of teachers.

The document also laid down the international standards for the schooling, continuing education, recruitment and employment of teachers as well as their minimum working and learning conditions.

An intergovernmental conference in Paris adopted the document on Oct. 5, 1994.

The meeting was convened by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in cooperation with the International Labor Organization (ILO).