Teachers’ welfare remains central in the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Monday.
This as DepEd culminated the National Teachers’ Month alongside the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) Program.
In a statement on Monday, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara attributed the recent gains of the education sector to the efforts of Filipino teachers.
“Sabi natin, ‘Teacher, ikaw naman!’. Ang tagumpay ng ating mga mag-aaral, kabilang ang ating historic performance sa PISA 2025, ay hindi magiging posible kung wala ang sakripisyo, dedikasyon at husay ng ating mga guro (We say, teacher, it’s you day. The success of our learners, including our historic performance in 2025 PISA, will not be possible without the sacrifices, dedication, and skills of our teachers),” he said.
The Philippines showed improvements in reading, mathematics and 14 science in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) after ranking near the bottom in 2022.
As part of the celebration, the agency started the release of PHP1,000 to public school teachers for the World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit.
Angara expressed his gratitude to President Marcos for supporting programs benefiting Filipino educators.
“Nagpapasalamat tayo kay Pangulong Bongbong Marcos sa lahat ng kanyang inisyatiba at suporta para sa kapakanan ng ating mga guro. Basta kakayanin, ibibigay ng ating Pangulo (We are also thanking President Bongbong Marcos for all initiatives and support for the welfare of our teachers. As long as we can, the President will grant benefits),” he said.
Among the President’s support is the fast-tracking of the release of the 2024 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for qualified DepEd personnel.
The DepEd, meanwhile, cited 16 educators under the Recognition of Exemplary Teachers in IPEd.
The teachers have served for eight to 30 years in remote IP communities.
They have also partnered with community elders and culture bearers to produce indigenized learning resources tailored to ancestral domains.
Besides this, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) turned over a PHP1-million ceremonial check to the agency.
In terms of easing teachers’ workload, the agency earlier slashed mandatory school forms from the previous 174 to just five regular forms.
Benefits were likewise expanded, including doubling annual non-taxable teaching allowance to PHP10,000, an annual medical subsidy of up to PHP7,000, and five days of paid annual wellness leave.
For career advancement, 82,105 teachers and school heads have been promoted under the Expanded Career Progression System, with an additional 135,000 targeted for promotion under the proposed 2027 budget.
The DepEd also created thousands of support roles, including 10,000 School Counselor Associate positions, 6,000 School Principal items, 11,268 Administrative Officer II roles, and 5,000 Project Development Officer I positions to handle non-teaching administrative duties. (PNA)
