ACT Teachers Party-List

GENERAL EDUCATION UNITS, DAGDAGAN, HUWAG BAWASAN! ✊

Nakiisa ngayong umaga si ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio sa Sulong Makabayan Edukasyon: United PUP For General Education ng General Education Movement-PUP (GEM-PUP) dito sa PUP Lagoon.

Nilahukan ng mga estudyante, g**o, at kawani ng PUP para ipaglaban ang pagpapaunlad sa GE courses at labanan ang mga planong palabnawin ang papel nito sa edukasyon. Iginiit natin ang kahalagahan ng GE courses sa paghubog ng mga mag-aaral na may kritikal na pag-iisip, kamalayang panlipunan, at malasakit sa bayan.

Kasalukuyang naudlot ang panukala ng Commission on Higher Education (CHED) na Reframed General Education Curriculum (RGEC) na layong bawasan ang GE units mula 36 units patungong 18 units, dahil sa mga isinagawang pagpapanawagan ng mga g**o at estudyante laban dito.

Tuloy ang laban para sa Makabayan, Siyentipiko, at Makamasang Edukasyon!

PRESS RELEASE
Rep. Antonio Tinio
ACT Teachers PL
June 1, 2026

Tinio files health bills: Raise budget to 5% of GDP, exempt medicines from VAT

ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio filed two landmark health bills with Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Sarah Jane Elago and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co: the "Una ang Kalusugan Law" mandating 5% of GDP for public health, and a measure exempting all essential medicines and nutritional products from value-added tax.

"Health is a right, not a commodity for the wealthy. Yet the government spends only ₱448 billion—just 1.45% of GDP—on health. This is four times less than neighboring countries," Tinio said.

Filipinos shoulder 42.7% of all health expenditures out-of-pocket—₱615.16 billion annually, the third-highest burden among ASEAN nations. The "Una ang Kalusugan Law" mandates allocation of at least 5% of GDP (approximately ₱1.4 trillion) for public health services, aligning with WHO standards.

"If we raise the health budget to 5% of GDP, we can provide living wages for health workers, hire sufficient health professionals, and make health services free for all Filipinos, just as we have fought for free education," Tinio said. "A 1% increase in public health spending per capita can lead to 15.1% to 17.9% increase in labor productivity over five years. This is investment in the nation's productive capacity."

Tinio identified funding sources without new taxation: "We can redirect debt servicing (₱2.1 trillion in 2025), confidential funds, and pork barrel allocations toward public health. Progressive taxation like a billionaire wealth tax can provide additional funds."

On the VAT exemption bill, Tinio criticized that only 2,263 medicines—just 5% of 50,000 government-procured medicines—qualify for VAT exemption, and only for seven specific conditions.

"Common medicines like paracetamol, vitamins, and antibiotics remain taxable. Filipinos pay 259 to 1,600 percent more for medicines than patients in India, Pakistan, and Thailand," Tinio said.

"Ang 12% VAT sa karamihan ng gamot ay nagdadagdag sa burden ng mga pamilyang mahihirap. Kapag may sakit, dapat pumili: bumili ng gamot o kumain?" he added in Filipino.

The pharmaceutical market is dominated by private chains, which captured 90% of the ₱216 billion market in 2024. Only 10% flowed through public hospitals.

Despite three years of implementing the Universal Health Care Act, the government's share of health spending declined from 49.8% in 2021 to 44.4% in 2024, while private insurance increased from 9.1% to 12.8%.

"Una ang Kalusugan—Health First. This is a constitutional obligation. When we raise the health budget to 5% of GDP, we free health services from the market and ensure every Filipino can access care," Tinio ended. # # #

Mangangalahati na ang taon, ngunit hindi pa rin natin nararamdaman ang ipinagmamalaking pinakamalaking pondo ng education.

SUBUKAN KAYA NG MGA PULITIKONG MABUHAY SA KAPOS NA SWELDO AT MAPILITANG MANGUTANG

"Some politicians would not be able to live their luxurious lives if they were paid as much as teachers’ salaries, instead of their six-digit monthly incomes. Surely, they cannot send their children to exclusive schools, get health care in prestigious hospitals, travel abroad, or simply eat in fine dining restaurants. If they were challenged to live a day like a teacher, they would see that teachers are human beings with human needs." | INQUIRER.net



Read: https://opinion.inquirer.net/192016/rethinking-teachers-salary

BAON SA UTANG ANG MGA G**O DAHIL KAPOS ANG SWELDO AT MALAYO SA NAKABUBUHAY NA ANTAS! 😢

"The call to raise the entry-level salary of public school teachers to P50,000 has grown into a resounding demand.

We are not asking for teachers to be compensated for every single service they provide; rather, it is the accumulation of all these responsibilities that forms a compelling case for raising their salaries. It is time to stop glorifying teachers’ resilience, sacrifice, and monumental contributions, and instead begin compensating them with the pay they rightfully deserve." | INQUIRER.net

Read: https://opinion.inquirer.net/192016/rethinking-teachers-salary