Teachers to Arroyo: “Good riddance to bad rubbish!”

Teachers to Arroyo: “Good riddance to bad rubbish!”

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) today joins various cause-oriented groups in bidding “Goodbye and good riddance!” to outgoing president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on her last day in office.

“The teachers will never forget Arroyo’s deplorable legacy to the teachers – inadequate teachers’ salaries, unjust policies of the GSIS, worsening teaching conditions due to shortages of critical resources in our public schools,” ACT Secretary General France Castro said.

Castro added that the teachers breathe a small sigh of relief in the knowledge that Arroyo is now leaving Malacanang, and finally ending her very miserable performance as president and her even more miserable performance to address the problems of the teachers and the Philippine education system. “We still hold her accountable for the legacy from her years as president,” she said.

However, Castro said, as long as these problems of the teachers and the educational system still remain, ACT will continue to fight for adequate salaries and benefits for teachers, additional government budget for education, and for the government to address the shortages of schools’ resources.

ACT also warns incoming president Noynoy Aquino not to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and for him to pursue bold steps to resolve the crisis on education.

The teachers urged Aquino to implement the following pressing issues on his first 100 days in office:

• Salary increase for teachers in the public and private sector. In the public sector, ensure the full implementation of the Salary Standardization Law 3 in the 2010;
• Immediate replacement of Winston Garcia as President and General Manager of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and rescinding of the unfair and unjust policies (premium-based policy, claims and loans interdependency policy, etc.) implemented during his term;
• Supplemental budget that will substantially address critical shortages in basic education and augment funding for state universities and colleges;
• Seek justice for teachers victimized by extrajudicial killings perpetrated during the Arroyo administration. These include the killings of ACT leaders Napoleon Pornasdoro and Vitoria Samonte; college professor and human rights activist Jose Maria Cui; and the young teacher Rebelyn Pitao.

“The teachers will be vigilant and continue to struggle until the crisis on education is resolved,” concluded Castro.###

News Release June 30, 2010

Teachers urge P-Noy to replace, file charges vs GSIS prexy Davao City –

Members of Kahugpungan sa mga Magtutudlo ug Kawani sa Edukasyon sa Mindanao – Alliance of Concerned Teachers (KAMKEM-ACT)
urge today President-elect Noynoy Aquino to oust GSIS
President and General Manager Winston Garcia and make him accountable
for the unjust policies that has troubled thousands of teacher
beneficiaries.

“For nearly one decade, we have suffered from the unjust policies
imposed by its politically-influential President and General Manager,
Winston Garcia,” said KAMKEM-ACT Davao Chairperson Elenito Escalante.

“Under the administration of Garcia, who is a strong ally of the Arroyo
administration, the GSIS has deprived us of benefits to which we are
entitled. We are burdened with huge deductions on the maturity of our
GSIS insurance policy, of being charged with unexplained premiums in
arrears, of not receiving annual dividends from GSIS, of being
denied survivorship benefits, of GSIS’ failure to deduct loan payments
resulting in huge interests on loans, and huge deductions suffered by
retirees,” Escalante said.

Davao teachers have previously protested Arroyo’s duplicity
in tolerating GSIS during a protest action held in front of the GSIS
office early this year.

“The Arroyo-Garcia tandem is at the root of our problems with
the GSIS and we challenge the new administration to make Arroyo and
Garcia accountable by filing administrative, criminal and civil charges
against them; Garcia for one violated key provisions of the GSIS law,”
Escalante said.

Among the demands of KAMKEM-ACT are the immediate refund of
all unwarranted deductions made by GSIS against members’ benefits;
scrapping of the Premium-Based Policy, the Claims and Loans
Interdependency Program, and other policies introduced by Garcia which
have deprived GSIS members of the full enjoyment of benefits to which
they are entitled; and introduction of genuine reforms that will
strengthen the role of GSIS as the social security fund of government
employees. #

For reference:

ELENITO ESCALANTE

0923-852-8506