The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the release of an additional ₱6 billion this year to clear the accumulated backlog of salary differentials owed to the 80,000 public school teachers who were promoted under the Expanded Career Progression program but had not yet received the pay difference corresponding to their new positions, Budget Secretary Kim Robert De Leon said Saturday.
The President’s Budget chief made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on September 5, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series featuring the DBM.
He said the backlog built up because the processing of salary differentials for promoted teachers, from submission of promotion details to DBM’s regional offices to the actual release of funds to DepEd, took time, leaving thousands of teachers waiting for pay they were legally entitled to.
“Merong iba dun, parang meron pa kaming inabutang differential. We still had to find a way para mabayaran, but last week or two weeks ago, na-approve na namin yung additional na ₱6 billion na pondo this year para mabayaran na lahat yung backlog na differential para sa mga na-promote under the Expanded Career Progression,” De Leon said.
De Leon said the memorandum approving the ₱6 billion release was already signed approximately two weeks before the interview, and the funds are being downloaded from DBM regional offices to DepEd regional offices, with all backlogged differentials expected to be paid out within one to two weeks.
“I already signed the memorandum approving the release, I think two weeks ago. So dapat ngayon, our regional offices should be able to download to DepEd already the funds, and hopefully in the next one or two weeks, dapat nabayaran na lahat yung naipon nating differential na salary differential sa ating mga na-promote na DepEd teaching personnel,” the Budget chief said.
De Leon said the ₱6 billion clearance is separate from the ₱12 billion already earmarked in the proposed 2027 budget for the Expanded Career Progression, which will fund an additional 135,000 teacher promotions next year.
He said teachers who have not yet received their salary differentials can expect payment within weeks, without needing to follow up at the central DBM office.
