Rep. Emil Ong of the National Unity Party (NUP) is pushing the swift approval of a measure that disallows ranking in the hiring of public school teachers, in a bid to equalize employment opportunities for them.

Ong, who represents Northern Samar’s 2^nd district, said his measure, House Bill 4979, corrects certain hiring  guidelines issued by the Department of Education (DepEd) that contravene existing laws.

He said the ranking done by the DepEd in hiring teachers should apply only when there are no qualified applicants for the vacant positions in public schools and other state learning centers, and when there are no qualified bona fide residents of the barangay, municipality, city or province where the school is located.

“The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers provides for the minimum educational qualifications for teacher-applicants without precluding the DepEd to lay down any recruitment policy with respect to the selection and appointment of teachers," Ong said.



Ong also cited provisions of  Republic Act 8190, also known as An Act Granting Priority Residents of the Barangay, Municipality or City where the School is located in the appointment or assignment of Classroom Public School Teachers, in justifying his proposal prohibiting ranking in the hiring of state tutors.

“However, the guidelines issued by the DepEd in hiring teachers require more criteria, which make it more difficult for teacher-applicants to be hired,” he noted.

The DepEd’s current requirements for teacher-applicants usually include the application letter, Civil Service Form 212, proof of the rating obtained from The Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), photocopy of college or university transcript or records, service record if any, Certificate of specialized training, if any.



These documents will then be submitted to the school head of the public school where the applicant intends to teach. An applicant should then prepare for an interview, create a good demonstration plan, and take an English proficiency exam. After going through all these processes, the applicant will have to wait for the release of the rank list of teacher-applicants.

The selection committee evaluates applicants based on the following criteria: Education; Teaching experience; LET; Experiential learning course; Specialized training and skills; Interview; Demonstration teaching; and Communication Skills.


“Well settled is the rule that amendments to an existing and valid law should only be done through proper legislation, and that a mere department order cannot effectively amend a law like Republic Act 8190," Ong said.

"[The DepEd’s ranking of teachers] is therefore in contravention with the existing laws," the lawmaker  added.