The more than 950,000 public school teachers employed by the Department of Education (DepEd) are set to receive their ₱1,000 World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit (WTDIB) this coming Sunday, October 5, according to House Assistant Minority Leader and Eastern Samar Representative Christopher Sheen Gonzales.
“The ₱955 million funding for this year’s WTDIB is line-itemized in the 2025 General Appropriations Law, with a special provision to guarantee its timely release,” Gonzales said.
The legislator serves on the House committees on appropriations and on basic education and culture.
“We assure our teachers that this incentive will remain a priority every year.”
“We assure our teachers that this incentive will remain a priority every year. In fact, we’ve filed a bill seeking to hopefully enhance the benefit,” the lawmaker explained.
Gonzales and House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan earlier this month filed House Bill 4531, which would triple the WTDIB, giving every public school teacher a ₱3,000 cash gift instead of the current ₱1,000.
“They deserve recognition not just in words but through tangible support.”
“The proposed higher benefit is not merely an incentive but a clear expression of our nation’s gratitude. Public school teachers are the backbone of our education system. They deserve recognition not just in words but through tangible support,” Gonzales said.
The bill would also make permanent the WTDIB that Congress first granted to public school teachers six years ago through a simple line-item insertion in the General Appropriations Law of 2019.
World Teachers’ Day, celebrated every October 5 since 1994 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), honors the vital role of teachers in shaping societies.
In the Philippines, Republic Act 10743 likewise declares October 5 as National Teachers’ Day in honor of the dedication and compassion of Filipino educators.
