TEACHERS and non-teaching personnel will receive an annual medical allowance of P7,000 starting this school year, the Department of Education said yesterday.
The initiative, according to Education Secretary Sonny Angara, aims to “ease the financial burden of medical expenses, improve healthcare access, and boost the well-being and productivity of DepEd employees, especially those in low-income, remote, and high-risk areas.”
The amount is a significant increase from the previous P500 medical allowance, which was intended to cover the cost of eligible diagnostic tests as contained in a DepEd order issued in 2020.
“As emphasized by President Marcos Jr., we want our teachers and staff to stay healthy without having to worry about medical bills. This is our way of recognizing the commitment of our teachers and staff. This allowance is a way to give back and ensure they never have to choose between their health and the stress of medical bills,” Angara added.
Under the newly issued DepEd Order No. 16 series of 2025 entitled Guidelines on the Grant of Medical Allowance to the Department of Education personnel, qualified DepEd personnel may receive the benefit by choosing either of the three modes, namely, enrollment in group HMO packages to be procured by DepEd, individual availment of new or for renewal of existing HMO-type product, or direct cash payment via payroll.
The third option, according to the DepEd order, can be availed by personnel in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas or where HMO access is limited or unavailable or an individual HMO application is denied by an HMO company.
The allowance covers permanent, co-terminus, fixed-term, casual, or contractual personnel who have rendered at least six months of service within the year.
However, Angara said, those without employer-employee relationships with DepEd—such as consultants, job order workers, apprentices, and student laborers—are excluded from the program.
The increase in medical allowance is mandated under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order 64, which increases the salary and benefits of employees in the public sector.
