Public school teachers have intensified their call for government action after a controversy over garnished payroll accounts exposed deepening financial distress among educators, with a teachers’ group urging Education Secretary Sonny Angara to back a proposed P15,000 salary increase and to push for long-term reforms.

Reports earlier showed many teachers struggling with mounting debt, with some saying that lending firms were taking their entire salaries and benefits.

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said the issue reflected a systemic problem rather than isolated cases and called for urgent and compassionate intervention.

“This is a clear indication that the government must be more considerate of the real conditions faced by our teachers,” said Benjo Basas, TDC chairperson, noting that the crisis stemmed from longstanding structural issues.

The group reiterated proposals such as alternative ways of releasing incentives, stricter regulation of lending institutions, and stronger safeguards against excessive salary deductions.

It stressed, however, that these must be paired with decisive action from top officials.

The TDC called on Angara to take a more proactive role, particularly in advancing the proposed across-the-board P15,000 salary increase for Department of Education personnel, along with improved monetary and non-monetary benefits.

According to the group, Angara’s experience in both chambers of Congress positions him to help push pending salary increase measures and to engage lawmakers toward their passage.

“If the President is not fully apprised of the gravity of the situation — the perpetuation of debt among public school teachers — then it becomes even more imperative for the Secretary of Education to bring this matter forward with clarity and urgency,” Basas said.