12/08/2026
I have encountered multiple cases of public school teachers na lubog sa utangâhanggang sa halos maubos na ang sweldo sa salary deductions.
And every time I encounter cases like these, nare-realize ko na having a stable job doesnât automatically mean having stable finances.
May regular income ka, yes. Pero kapag sabay-sabay na ang loans, salary deductions, bills, family responsibilities, at emergencies, minsan bago pa dumating ang sweldo mo, may nakaabang nang kukuha nito.
Ang mas mahirap? Since automatic ang deductions, minsan nagiging cycle:
Maliit ang natitirang take-home pay â hindi sapat sa monthly expenses â uutang ulit â madadagdagan ang deductions â mas liliit ulit ang take-home pay.
And the cycle continues.
Kaya sa debt management, hindi pwedeng ang advice lang ay âmagbayad ka ng utang.â Of course, we need to pay what we owe. Pero kailangan din nating tingnan: Bakit tayo paulit-ulit na napapautang? Saan napupunta ang income? Aling deductions ang matatapos soon? Ano ang pwede nating i-adjust? At paano tayo makakagawa ng system para hindi na kailanganing umutang ulit?
Because sometimes, the first goal isnât to pay everything as fast as possible. The first goal is to stop the bleeding.
Unti-unti nating bawiin ang sweldo mo.
Unti-unti nating dagdagan ang perang ikaw naman ang may control.
And eventually, dumating sa point na kapag pumasok ang sweldo mo, hindi na puro pangalan ng pinagkakautangan ang nakapila.
Stable income is a blessing. But we also need to learn how to protect it.
One debt at a time. One deduction at a time. One better financial decision at a time.
Rooting for every teacher who spends their life educating others while quietly trying to fix their own finances too. đ€