March 28, 2024

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Public school teachers in this municipality gathered at the Eyeb Open Gym on Oct. 3 to celebrate the Bontoc District Teachers’ Day. 

Speaking before almost a hundred teachers, Mayor Franklin Odsey commended and thanked the teachers for all their hard work and sacrifices. 

“You may think that your job is a thankless job. You may think that the national government is not giving you commensurate attention as regards your pay and benefits as compared to the uniformed personnel of the police or the armed forces. For all your sacrifices, even those that are not recognized during your ranking and promotion, and for all those times that you get tired and feel like giving up, please remember that service is reward unto itself,” the mayor said. 

Whileit cannot provide an additional amount of the salary given to teachers, Odsey assured that the municipal government strives to give whatever assistance it can to help the education sector. 

Some of these are the annual allocation of financial aid for boy scouts, girl scouts, district athletic meet, Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association meet, Batang Pinoy or Philippine National Games, and Alternative Learning System; the increase of the municipal government’s financial aid to the Provincial Meet to P1.2 million for 2020, the highest in Mountain Province; allocation of P400,000 for the Special Program for the Employment of Students as in the previous years; and the increase of allocation of the Oplan Perasa Basura to P300,000 for cash incentives to schools next year. 

Odsey said that in 2018, more than P1M was released by the municipal government to respective schools as Special Education Fund (SEF) while almost P700,000 was released to the respective schools as SEF from January to September this year. 

Odsey added that starting this year, the municipal government has also allocated P1.2M for the financial assistance to indigent students or the municipal scholarship program. The assistance of P2,500 per grantee increased to P4,000 per grantee, which is higher compared to other municipalities.

To encourage students to excel either in academic and/or sports competitions in the provincial, regional, national, or international levels and bring honor to the municipality, the mayor added that the municipal government has, for how many years now, allocated P300,000 per year for cash incentives to students who bring home gold, silver, or bronze medals.

Only Bontoc, among all the towns in Mountain Province, has this program.

The mayor emphasized that in addition to other municipal funds, all of the Bontoc municipal government’s share from the collection of real property taxesare given back to the public in the form of the various programs to include the education sector. 

An elementary teacher by profession and since he started his political career, education has always been one of Odsey’s priorities. 

The mayor challenged the teachers to focus on youth development through education, sports, and the arts. 

“Youth development is essential in nation-building, so your job as teachers is practically, to build the nation. Such is your value and your responsibility – to build the nation. As with your theme today ‘Gurong Pilipino: Handa sa makabagong pagbabago,’ you must adapt to the changing times and harness technological advances to more effectively accomplish your mission as molders or educators of our country’s future,” he said. 

Schools District Supervisor Amelia Wacangan thanked the municipal government for their continuous support to the education sector. 

Presidential Proclamation 242 declares Sept. 5 to Oct. 5 every year as National Teachers Month and Republic Act 10743 declares Oct. 5 of every year as the National Teachers Day. The Unesco also declared every Oct. 5 as World Teachers Day. – Alpine L. Killa