Bulacan Rep. Gavini Pancho of the National Unity Party (NUP) has proposed a measure granting life and health insurance coverage, among other benefits, for long-time contractual public school teachers in state tertiary institutions.

His proposal, spelled out in House Bill 5034, could cover more than 13,000 part-time teachers who have been rehired for more than three years through service contracts in the country’s 103 state universities and colleges (SUCs).

"Due to the scarcity of available plantilla positions in the Department of Education (DepEd), many contractual teachers are hired by local governments at lower salaries to fill in the shortage of teachers in our SUCs," Pancho noted.

Pancho said his measure recognizes the need to protect the rights of volunteer teachers against abuse and economic exploitation.

He pointed out that contractual teachers do not enjoy security of tenure and benefits such as coverage by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) even if they have been hired and rehired on the same terms, sometimes for more than five years.

"Service contracts do not establish an employer-employee relationship, making volunteer teachers denied of benefits such as PERA, Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), Representation and Transportation Allowance (RATA), mid-year bonuses, productivity incentives, Christmas bonuses and cash gifts," Pancho said.

He said this was ironic considering that the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers provides that the remunerations of public school teachers shall compare favorably with those paid in other occupations requiring equivalent qualifications, training and abilities to insure teachers a reasonable standard of life for themselves and their families.

Under Pancho’s proposed law, all contractual teachers who have been serving for at least three years in any public post-secondary institution are entitled to receive benefits and incentives as provided by law.

Teachers in SUCs, local universities and colleges (LUCs), whether nationally or locally funded, including those in technical and vocational schools and alternative learning system of the Department of Education (DepEd) are covered by HB 5034.

Qualified contractual teachers shall be covered by the GSIS, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHILHEALTH), and the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG, and full entitlement to all the benefits in accordance with the pertinent provisions provided by law, Pancho said.

HB 5034 also allows qualified teachers to receive a Christmas bonus of at least one half of what their regular counterparts are entitled to as mandated by law.

Other benefits for qualified contractual teachers enumerated under the law include an annual service incentive leave of five days with pay per year, although  unused leaves may not be converted to cash and are not cumulative or may not be carried over to the succeeding years;  an instructional materials allowance amounting to P1,500 per month for  volunteer teachers of basic and higher education nationwide including those serving in the alternative learning system of the DepEd;  and  exemption from paying tuition and matriculation fees for his or her continuing education in any state college or university.