COLA hike for teachers pushed

CEBU, Philippines – As part of delivering quality education to the children, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes wants to increase the cost of living allowance (COLA) to the teachers and non-teaching staff.

Cortes said before his term ends next year, the more than 2,000 elementary and secondary teachers and non-teaching staff of the Department of Education-Mandaue City Division will enjoy additional COLA.

Since Cortes assumed office in 2007, there had been two hikes in the teachers’ COLA. From P300, it was increased to P500 and then later on to P700.

"I have initiated the increase of your COLA two times from P300 to P500 then to P700….there will be another round," he said.

The teachers had earlier appealed to the City Council through Councilor Demetrio Cortes Jr., chairman in the Council Committee on Education, a P300 increase of their COLA, citing the successive increases of basic commodities and transportation.

“We are also very sensitive to the needs of our teachers and have extended all the assistance that we can. No doubt there is a need to increase the COLA of teachers but it should go through the standard procedures,” Cortes said.

The monthly COLA is given every quarter to the teachers and non-teaching workers.

City spokesperson Roger Paller said once the City Treasurer's Office has found the source of budget for the additional COLA, it will then be granted to the teachers.

Apart from that, Cortes also promised to continuously address the need for more classrooms to meet the growing student population.

“The city government has recognized the important role of teachers and the need to empower them. Since I took the seat of the city government, I have always maximized our resources to achieve quality education, foremost of which is the perennial problem of classroom backlog,” he said. (FREEMAN)