Senator Joel Villanueva is pushing to fix the allowance of all faculty and non-teaching personnel in the public school system, to ensure these are inflation-adjusted and protected from budget discretion.
Villanueva said the twin bills—Senate Bill No. 1605 and 1606 which he filed last year—are timely with the ongoing oil crisis that has significantly reduced the value of allowances received by teaching and nonteaching personnel across the public education system.
“These allowances are not just financial assistance but are part of a broader effort to affirm the State’s constitutional mandate to prioritize education, not just through facilities or access, but also by recognizing and supporting the people who drive its delivery,” Villanueva said.
“Benefit amounts are adjusted every three years to account for inflation, meaning the allowances will not lose purchasing power over time,” the senator and Commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM2), pointed out.
SBN 1606 seeks to provide a combined quarterly benefit of ₱5,000, or a total of ₱20,000 annually, for all teaching and non-teaching personnel in the public basic education system, including those in the Alternative Learning System. This includes ₱3,000 for grocery and transportation allowances and ₱2,000 for medical expenses per quarter.
Villanueva also credited the Department of Education for the existing quarterly medical allowance under DepEd Department Order No. 16, s. 2025, but said only a law can protect it from being cut in a lean budget year.
“The DepEd, through the leadership of Secretary Sonny Angara, has been advocating tirelessly for basic education personnel, working with what’s available. Sa pamamagitan ng panukalang ito, pagtitibayin at palalawigin nito ang mga repormang nasimulan na,” Villanueva pointed out.
On the other hand, SBN 1605 provides the same combined quarterly benefit of ₱5,000, or a total of ₱20,000 annually, for all teaching personnel in state universities and colleges, as well as state-run technical-vocational institutions.
Both bills mandate that the additional allowances are exempt from taxation unless the amounts exceed the threshold as determined in the National Internal Revenue Code.
“While other laws and issuances rightly focus on learners, [these bills are] a deliberate act of solidarity with our educators and school personnel-the very people who make learning possible,” Villanueva said.
