PGMA to DBM: Ensure funds for next round of salary hike for teachers, other civil servants
"I told DBM to ensure funds for the next round of salary increase for teachers and other civil servants," she announced during her school inspection activity in Camarines Norte province on Monday.
She noted that the SSL is part of the government's support for teachers and other government employees to help improve their lives.
The government earlier increased from P9,000 to P14,000 the monthly salary of public school teachers holding Teacher 1 position, she said.
President Arroyo said she approved the SSL so the government can rationalize salaries of some 1.5 million civil servants nationwide.
Such rationalization aims to bring the civil servants' salaries closer to compensation levels in the private sector.
The national government is implementing SSL in four tranches over a four-year period beginning July 2009.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has lauded the Arroyo administration for the SSL implementation, noting authorities allocated in the 2009 General Appropriations Act (GAA) nearly P19 billion for the salary increase's maiden tranche.
CSC said SSL's initial implementation across local government units is scheduled beginning January 2010.
Aside from helping improve the lives of civil servants, the government is optimistic SSL will help enhance their work performance and generate consumer spending amid the global financial crunch.
To help boost teachers' capability, President Arroyo said the government already released P2 billion for their training, particularly in improving their English language skills.
Such training is needed as government adapted English to be the medium of instruction in schools nationwide.
English is the main language for international transactions.
"I also earlier formed the Presidential Task Force on Education to look into our education system," President Arroyo said.
She noted this aims to identify the education system's gaps and weaknesses so authorities can make recommendations to address these.
The President said authorities will endorse these recommendations to the next administration. (PNA)
D.A., PLDT team up to expand farmers’ access to agri info
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and telecommunication giant Philippine Long Distance Company (PLDT) have partnered on a novel project that would enable Filipino farmers and fisherfolk to easily access agriculture- related extension services via phone calls, the Internet or short messaging service (SMS).
Powered by PLDT’s OnCall (Managed Contact Center solution), this Farmers’ Contact Center (FCC) project will allow farmers to talk extensively with the Department’s agricultural technicians and experts to get guidance and information on their various concerns without having to worry about high prices on call rates. Through PLDT Toll Free, call charges from SMART and Talk n’ Text mobile is set at P7.27 flat rate per call instead of charging by the minute.
An agreement was signed by then-Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap and PLDT vice president for corporation relations management Renato Castaneda last February 2010 formalizing the participation of their respective agencies in this farmer-friendly project.
FIELDS, which enumerates the six areas where government support are being focused on under the President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s food security and sufficiency agenda, stands for Fertilizers, Irrigation and other rural infrastructure like farm-to-market roads (FMRs), Extension services and education for farmers, Loans, Dryers and other postharvest facilities, and Seeds and other genetic materials.
Agriculture Secretary Bernie Fondevilla welcomed the project initiated by
President Arroyo recently named Fondevilla, a former DA undersecretary and Yap’s Chief of Staff at the DA, to succeed
ATI Director Asterio Saliot said that initially, agricultural experts will be on hand to answer queries received by the FCC, which has also established direct links to the various DA offices and attached agencies including the state universities and colleges.
Saliot said that farmers and fisherfolk can ask about, among others, information on current prices of commodities, schedule of irrigation water releases, marketing of farm produce, and control measures for pest and disease incidents, through the FCC.
The FCC may be accessed through these hotlines: 1-800-10-982AGRI (or 1-800-10-982- 2474) for provincial toll-free calls using PLDT lines; 982AGRI (or 982-2474) for calls within Metro Manila; 391DA (or 391-32) for text messages using Smart and Talk&Text; 0920-946AGRI (0920-946-2474) for mobile calls and text messages using Globe, TM and Sun Cellular; info@e-extension. gov.ph for emails; www.e-extension. gov.ph and www.ati.da.gov. ph for the online discussion fora and instant messaging. (DA Press Office)
