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| Gov. Sol Matugas |
By Jun Lira
Making true to her commitment of improving
the lot of local school board teachers, Surigao del Norte Governor Sol
Forcadilla-Matugas recently ordered a second-round increase on mentors’
honorarium which would benefit one hundred seventy two elementary and secondary
volunteer-educators province-wide.
In an exclusive interview, Matugas said that
school board teachers will receive a monthly honorarium of P7,000.00 effective
June this year – or an increase of P1,000.00 from its current pay of P6,000.00
per month.
“The pay increase which takes effect
beginning this school year, though minimal, can help alleviate the plight of
our local teachers vis-à-vis our present economic condition,” Matugas said.
A retired DepEd regional director prior to
her election as provincial governor in 2010, Matugas earned the appreciation of
the education community when, shortly after she assumed office, she ordered an
increase in the honorarium of local school board teachers which doubled up
their monthly take from P3,000.00 to P6,000.00 and provided for an annual
‘chalk allowance’ of P1,000.00.
Banking on her previous credential as one of
the noted educators in the country, Matugas made waves in the local scene with
an education program which saw a dramatic increase in the number of school
board teachers from only 88 in 2010 to 172 at the present, budget increase in
the local school board fund from P4-million to P8.6-million, intensification of
professional trainings for school administrators and public school teachers, integration
of ‘day care centers’ into mainstream elementary schools, establishment of
secondary schools in far-flung areas, establishment of school libraries in
Siargao and Surigao del Norte DepEd Divisions, and college scholarships for
deserving poor students, among others.
She also lobbied before the Secretary of
Education for the allocation of additional teacher-positions or ‘teaching
items’ in the province.
A former victim of political persecution,
Matugas was unceremoniously transferred to Region 8 where she retired as DepEd
regional director in 2009.
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| Former Gov. Robert Ace Barbers |
She was a reluctant candidate prior to and
during the May 2010 elections and a virtual underdog who was then facing an
undefeated opponent with a formidable machinery who was described by political
pundits as unbeatable. But she overcame the odds and handily trounced former
governor Robert “Ace” Barbers, the last man standing of the then Barbers
political dynasty.
Last month, the Second Division of the
Commission On Election upheld the victory of Matugas after it junked Barbers’
election protest for lack of merit.
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