First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the historic mass oath-taking of more than 8,000 newly promoted teachers and school heads from Western Visayas on Monday, marking the largest gathering to date under the administration’s Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System.

The First Lady, who teaches at the Western Visayas State University College of Law, took selfies with the educators during the event.

The ceremony, held at Villareal Stadium in Roxas City, Capiz, followed the recent inductions of some 3,300 teachers and school heads in Cebu, 2,600 in Davao, and 2,100 in Eastern Visayas.

In his speech, the President assured the educators of sustained government support, citing efforts to strengthen their career growth, welfare, and working conditions.

He said the ECP System addresses the longstanding challenge of the slow promotion of teachers due to limited permanent positions.

The system provides clearer promotion pathways, allowing teachers to either continue focusing on classroom instruction or to pursue leadership roles in school management.

From August 2025 to the present, a total of 79,230 teachers and school heads nationwide have benefited from promotions under the ECP system. Of these, more than 8,500 were from Western Visayas, including 124 educators nearing retirement, according to the President.

Marcos reiterated his commitment to ensuring that no teacher will retire at the entry-level rank of Teacher I.

He said more promotions were currently being processed to ensure that no teacher is left behind.

Aside from career progression, the President cited ongoing reforms to improve teachers’ working conditions and welfare. These include reducing their administrative workload by streamlining paperwork requirements and creating more than 61,000 new teaching positions from 2022 to 2025.

The administration has also released a P10,000 teaching allowance for School Year 2025–2026 and is expanding housing support programs for teachers, giving them priority access to affordable housing.

The President expressed his gratitude to the teachers, noting their countless hours of dedication to the education of young Filipinos.