The promotion of more than 16,000 public school teachers by the Department of Education reflects the impact of coordinated leadership across the executive branch under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a civic leader said Monday.

Chairman emeritus Jose Antonio Goitia of the Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD) and the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER) told the Daily Tribune that teacher promotion backlogs have persisted for years, slowed by structural and administrative constraints that were often acknowledged but rarely resolved.

“This time, they were. And that did not happen overnight. This did not occur by accident,” Goitia said. “It required executive clarity and the political will to address inefficiencies that had been allowed to linger for far too long,” he added.

Goitia said the development shows that whole-of-executive governance is now at work.

At the department level, Education Secretary Sonny Angara translated national priorities into operational results. The promotions required close coordination on funding, plantilla management, and personnel approvals—an alignment that Goitia said does not happen in silos.

“This is what functional governance looks like,” Goitia noted. “When the President sets the direction and Cabinet members execute with discipline, long-standing problems finally move.”

Investing in teachers, strengthening institutions

Beyond rank and compensation, the promotions restore morale and professional dignity among educators who form the backbone of the public school system, Goitia said. Clearing long-standing backlogs sends a signal that service and performance still matter, and that the system can work for those who sustain it.

“You cannot speak seriously about education reform while neglecting the people who deliver it. By acting on teacher promotions, the Marcos administration is strengthening education from the inside out,” said Goitia, who also heads the Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI) and the Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement.

Quiet coordination, lasting results

Goitia said the move may not command sustained headlines, but its impact will be felt daily in classrooms nationwide.

“It reflects a governing approach that favors coordination, restraint, and delivery, rather than noise for its own sake,” he said.

“Good governance is not always loud,” Goitia concluded. “Sometimes, it simply works. And when it does, the results endure.”