A lawmaker on Monday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to provide teachers with special risk allowance as the Philippines started its pilot run of face-to-face classes in select areas amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

In filing House Resolution 2410, Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo said teachers are clearly at risk of contracting Covid-19, especially now that the DepEd plans to expand face-to-face classes early next year.

Quimbo said a risk allowance would allow teachers to spend more on protective equipment and pay for medical bills should they get sick in the line of duty.

“I call on the DepEd to immediately look for funds for this purpose, and to categorically prohibit schools from requiring their teachers to sign such waivers for face-to-face classes,” she said.

She said she received reports that some schools require teachers to sign a waiver before being allowed to teach face-to-face classes.

“Necessarily, they would need to buy medicines. In worse cases, they would have to be confined. Mauubos ang ipon ng teacher sa medical bills kung ‘di tutulong ang gobyerno (Teachers’ savings would be depleted in paying medical bills if the government does not help out),” she said.

She also pointed out that the teachers who necessarily work upon the reopening of face-to-face classes face “unique risks” given that their students are likely to be unvaccinated, as evidenced by findings of DepEd from October 2021 that only 0.14 percent of minors aged 12-17 and only 50.33 percent of teaching and non-teaching personnel are fully vaccinated.

“Given the important role of teachers as our front-liners in the education sector, all measures must be implemented to ensure their safety and proper compensation be paid to them commensurate to the risk that they are exposed to,” she said.

Quimbo also urged the Department of Health to prioritize the teachers for booster shots.

“Pagtulungan nating suportahan ang teachers upang maging tagumpay ang ligtas na pagbabalik-eskwela ng mga bata (Let us all support our teachers in achieving a safe return of children to schools),” she said. (PNA)