The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) has once again appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to intervene in the release of the long-delayed P7,000 medical allowance for public school teachers and other government employees. Said allowance, under Marcos’ Executive Order No. 64, should be released through HMO, or in rare cases, in cash. The group, through its chairperson Benjo Basas, is also seeking an urgent dialogue with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman to resolve the matter.

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The group expressed appreciation for Pangandaman’s passionate appeal to government agencies to immediately release the medical allowance, noting that it is already halfway through the year. “Nanawagan po ako sa lahat ng departments and agencies na hindi pa po nagbibigay ng medical allowance sa kanilang mga empleyado, parang awa niyo na po, ibigay niyo na po ‘yan. Maraming nagte-text sa akin, kalahati na po ng taon,” Pangandaman said in a press conference last week.

Basas stressed that public school teachers badly need the cash to cover their medical expenses, particularly the mandated annual medical examination, which most teachers have paid for out of their own pockets. “While the Executive Order prescribes the benefit for fiscal year 2025, delays in policy implementation have left our teachers waiting for months. We need clarity and decisive action. We appeal to the President and the DBM Secretary to resolve this without further delay,” Basas said.

The group’s latest appeal follows a series of communications with Malacañang. On July 1, TDC wrote to the Office of the President requesting that the allowance be released in cash form, at least for 2025. Malacañang endorsed the letter to Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara on July 3, but the DepEd responded that it lacked authority to amend Executive Order No. 64.

Undeterred, the TDC wrote again to Malacañang on July 28 to seek the President’s direct opinion. Malacañang replied on July 31 by endorsing the matter to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Most recently, on August 14, the group wrote a rejoinder to the Palace, noting that the DBM might simply echo DepEd’s position.

Still, Basas said the latest endorsement to the DBM could signal a breakthrough. “We see a ray of hope in the Palace’s referral to the DBM. This may mean entrusting the matter to Secretary Pangandaman’s discretion, since DBM is the primary agency tasked to implement Executive Order No. 64,” he explained.

The TDC is now pressing for a swift meeting with Pangandaman, hopeful that her leadership will provide clarity and deliver long-awaited relief to teachers and government personnel.


Source: TDC