The Department of Education–National Employees Union (DepEd-NEU) has reiterated its strong support for Education Secretary Sonny Angara, along with its renewed call to increase the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) incentive to P20,000 for more than 60,000 non-teaching personnel nationwide.

DepEd-NEU national president Atty. Domingo Alidon said that from the beginning of Angara's leadership, union members felt the secretary’s strong action and concern for their welfare.

One of the most notable initiatives, he said, is the initial P10,000 CNA incentive already granted to non-teaching personnel — a historic milestone in recognizing the dedication and service of administrative workers in the education sector.

"In the long history of the Department of Education, many leaders have come and gone. However, the narrative for the rank-and-file fundamentally and decisively changed with Secretary Angara’s arrival," Alidon said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

"He stands as the only Secretary in our history who, within his very first year of service, charted an unprecedented course of genuine recognition for our personnel, not merely listening but acting with tangible resolve and integrity," he added.

Despite celebrating the historic P10,000 grant, the DepEd-NEU is calling for the incentive to be increased to P20,000, citing Department of Budget and Management policies that allow CNA incentives of up to P30,000.

"While we wholeheartedly celebrate and honor this historic P10,000 grant, our collective narrative is one of aspiring for more — not out of greed, but out of economic necessity and the pursuit of professional dignity and justice. We stand united and resolute in a singular, earnest request to increase this incentive to at least P20,000," Alidon said.

"We firmly anchor this petition on the existing guidelines set forth by the Department of Budget and Management, which clearly provide that an incentive of up to P30,000 is legally allowed for the CNA incentive," he added.