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[av_heading heading=’Ordinance mulled on Bacolod teachers’ Ecola’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
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Saturday, January 28, 2017
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BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod plans to come up with an ordinance that will aid the release of the emergency cost of living allowance (Ecola) of all public school teachers in the city.
The inquiry into the alleged non-release of the Ecola turned out to be an amicable forum among concerned parties.
And contrary to what he intended, Fiscal Clerk II Mario Española of the Office of the City Accountant’s Management and Audit Services Division attended the education committee hearing on Thursday.
Española clarified that the Ecola of teachers hired in 1997 and earlier were already released, and only that of teachers hired in 1998 and later were on hold as it was subject to the Audit Observation Memorandum of the Commission on Audit (COA).
Teachers claiming to have not received three quarters’ worth of Ecola in 2016 have accused Española of blocking the release of their allowance.
Española stressed he was just complying with the COA memo for fear of possible legal consequences.
Councilor Renecito Novero, education committee chairman, led the hearing.
Novero said the city council may approve an ordinance lifting the limit set by the years the teachers were hired.
Coming up with legislation out of the exchanges between concerned parties was the ultimate aim of the committee hearing, he stressed.
He said he believed everybody “understood” each other’s situations. He also commended Española for being cooperative.
Meanwhile Gualberto Dajao, president of the Bacolod City Public School Teachers Federation, said they were satisfied with the inquiry.
Dajao, also the president of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers in Negros, said they expect all teachers to receive the benefits due them.
Public school teachers receive a P2,000 monthly Ecola: P700 from the Special Education Fund (SEF) and P1,300 from the general fund.
But under the COA memo, only teachers hired in 1997 and earlier were entitled to the P2,000-a-month Ecola, while those hired in 1998 and later may not receive the SEF allocation./PN
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