Public school teachers will receive higher salaries, P10,000 annual teaching allowance, expanded career opportunities and additional benefits under the proposed 2027 national expenditure, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Saturday, Sept. 5.

The DBM said the Marcos administration puts teachers at the center of its nearly P1-trillion allocation for the Department of Education (DepEd).

DepEd is set to receive P975.96 billion under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), 5.11 percent higher than the 2026 level.

Of the net increase, P61.02 billion will go to higher Personnel Services funding, providing additional resources for teachers and other DepEd personnel.

DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon, in a media interview, said teachers account for a significant portion of the government workforce, making their welfare a major component of the proposed budget.

“Kapag tiningnan natin ang plantilla ng gobyerno, karamihan d’yan ay ang ating public school teachers. At napakalaki ng inihanda natin para sa kanila na kasama sa 2027 budget (When we look at the government plantilla, public school teachers form part of the majority. And we have prepared something very big for them that’s included in the 2027 budget),” he said.

Among the benefits teachers will receive next year is the fourth tranche of the salary adjustment under Executive Order No. 64, translating to an average increase of around five percent in the monthly compensation of government workers.

For a Teacher I at Salary Grade 11, the monthly basic salary will increase from P31,705 in 2026 to P33,387 in 2027.

De Leon said teachers in Salary Grades 11, 12, and 13 will particularly benefit from the adjustment as these positions account for a large portion of the government workforce.

Beyond their basic pay, P38.78 billion was also proposed for benefits under the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers and other personnel benefits.

This includes P25.04 billion for the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance, P5.80 billion for the Special Hardship Allowance for teachers assigned to beneficiary areas, P648.10 million for teaching overload honoraria, and P7.30 billion for medical allowance of up to P7,000 for qualified civilian personnel.

Teachers will continue to receive their P10,000 annual Teaching Allowance, with P10.36 billion proposed to cover 1.036 million teaching and teaching-related positions nationwide.

The government is also nearly doubling funding for the Expanded Career Progression program to P12.09 billion from PHP6.15 billion provided this year.

The allocation is expected to support 135,063 position reclassifications, giving more teachers opportunities to advance in their careers.

De Leon said the program addresses the long-standing challenge for teachers remaining in the traditional Teacher I, II, and III positions for much of their careers.

“Napakalinaw. Una, walang magre-retire na teacher (It is very clear. First, no teacher will retire) as Teacher I,” he said.

“Next year, iyang P12 billion, mga 135,000 teachers. Ma-promote (Next year, with the PP12 billion allocation, around 135, teachers will be promoted) under the expanded career progression program,” he said.

Another P3.02 billion would be allotted for the training of DepEd personnel, including P1.86 billion for in-service training and other learning and development interventions.

The proposed budget also provides P840.59 million for the creation of 2,135 additional positions, including School Principal I, Project Development Officer I and Administrative Officer II positions.

De Leon said the additional non-teaching personnel will help help teachers’ administrative workload and allow them to focus more on instruction.

“Hindi lang teaching pati non-teaching, dahil nga nabalitaan natin ang pangangailangan sa mga school guidance counselors and counselor associates, ‘yung mga non-teaching na tumutulong sa ating mga guro na gawin ang mga admin functions para sila ay maka-concentrate na sa talagang pagtuturo (It’s not just about teaching personnel, but also non-teaching personnel, given the need for school guidance counselors and counselor associates, as well as other non-teaching staff who can assist our teachers with administrative functions so they can concentrate on their primary task of teaching),” he said.

The DBM is also reviewing its internal processes to speed up the release of salary-related funding and other benefits, provided agencies maintain updated personnel master lists.

“Dahil sa direktiba ng ating Pangulo na talagang kapag benepisyo ng mamamayan, ng empleyado, ay hindi dapat nade-delay, we are also reviewing our internal process para lalo pang mas mapabilis (Folllowing the President’s directive that benefits due to citizens and employees should not be delayed, we are also reviewing our internal process to make their release even faster),” De Leon said.PNA