As the country celebrated National Teachers' Day on Wednesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. honored the country's educators for dedicating their lives to transforming the Filipino youth into agents of change.

"Let this day be a culmination of a month-long celebration in which we acknowledge the many sacrifices that our teachers make to mold our students and prepare them so they can achieve their dream in life," Marcos said.

The President stressed that education is "the bedrock of every prosperous society."

"This is also a good opportunity to express our sincerest appreciation for their invaluable service to the nation as we safely reopen our schools and bring forth a new era of learning amidst the post-pandemic world."

Marcos is confident that through the teachers, the Philippines will grow stronger, with every Filipino becoming more capable of building a better future for all.
"May this celebration not only inspire present teachers as they continue their efforts in shaping the lives of our young learners, but also motivate those whose dream is to be such agents of genuine unity and empowerment," he said.

The celebration of 2022 National Teachers' Month formally started on 5 September and culminated on 5 October with the National Teachers' Day and World Teachers' Day celebration.

Sara lauds teachers
Meanwhile, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte on Wednesday commended teachers for dedicating their lives to molding the minds of Filipinos children and for their role in nation-building.

"We must give importance for their (teachers) role in nation building. Our teachers play a crucial role in molding the youth — who is the future of our country," Duterte told media in an interview after the World Teachers' Day program celebration in Abra province.

Duterte also called on Filipinos to thank the teachers for academically and morally honing the schoolchildren.

The Vice President arrived early in the province to conduct her usual school visits, giving teachers the opportunity to have a sit-down meeting and discuss matters pertaining to DepEd's updates and the challenges in their delivery of services to learners.

Duterte also brought her "PagbaBAGo" campaign to students in the town.

She also took the time to visit the exhibition of local products at the Abra Sports Complex.

In her speech before the mentors and education stakeholders, Duterte revealed that her office chose Abra "to show moral support to teachers" who were affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake last July.

Duterte said the teachers' day celebration was originally scheduled in Davao Region.

She also said they highly care for the teaching force for their dedication and hard work especially that they carry on their shoulders the task to educate children who are the next generation of leaders.