This study investigates how systemic economic pressures and administrative workload shape teacher job satisfaction and career retention in Minglanilla, Cebu—a rapidly urbanizing municipality where educators face unique peri-urban pressures. Despite national recognition of teacher shortages, few studies examine how financial instability and bureaucratic demands interact in specific Philippine localities to drive attrition. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, this research surveyed 94 public elementary and high school teachers across Minglanilla's seven schools, supplemented by in-depth interviews with 12 educators most ready to leave. Quantitative analysis reveals that teachers experiencing both frequent salary delays and heavy administrative burden scored 40% lower in job satisfaction than those facing only one stressor—a synergistic effect rarely captured in isolated studies. Qualitative findings illuminate the mechanism: Minglanilla's peri-urban geography amplifies the psychological weight of paperwork when pay is unreliable. Major conclusions suggest that sustainable retention requires predictability—pay reliably on the 15th and 30th—and one protected weekly day without administrative tasks. Policymakers should recognize that attrition is interaction-driven, with modest, achievable interventions potentially preserving teaching capacity in peri-urban Philippine communities.
CASILAC* et al. (Wed,) studied this question.