The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved on Thursday, September 3, the release of an additional P8.68-billion fund for the salary upgrade of public school teachers.
The DBM said in a press release that 93,344 teachers under the Department of Education (DepEd) could benefit from the additional funding for the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System.
It will cover the salary differentials of public education personnel who have been reclassified under the ECP.
‘This P8.68-billion release means more than 93,000 qualified public school personnel can receive the compensation that comes with their reclassified positions. Pinaghirapan nila ang career advancement na ito, kaya dapat maramdaman din nila ang benepisyo nito,’ Acting Budget Secretary Kim De Leon said in the press release.
(They worked hard for this career advancement, so they should also feel its benefits.)
The ECP is a competency-based promotion system in which qualified teachers can advance their careers either by applying for a vacant higher position or reclassifying an existing position to a higher ECP position.
Higher positions under ECP carry a higher salary grade.
The additional funding is set to cover the salaries of personnel for 2025 and 2026 whose reclassified positions and appointments have been officially approved.
The regional offices of the budget agency will process and facilitate the release of additional funds to respective DepEd regional branches to ensure timely implementation.
Meanwhile, DBM said the government is proposing higher funding for the public teachers’ career advancement system.
The proposed 2027 national budget allocated P12.09 billion for the ECP, which, according to the DBM, is P5.94 billion or 96.6% higher than its 2026 fund.