Marcos vows more benefits, career opportunities for teachers

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to continue expanding benefits and career opportunities for teachers as the country marked National Teachers’ Day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Speaking during the celebration themed “Teacher, Ikaw Naman,” Marcos said the administration would continue looking for ways to improve support for educators.

“At hindi tayo titigil doon. Patuloy nating hahanapan ng paraan kung paano pa mapabubuti ang suporta, benepisyo, at mga oportunidad para sa ating mga guro,” he said.

Marcos said more than 82,000 teachers and school heads had been promoted nationwide under the Expanded Career Progression System as of September.

The figure includes 4,125 newly promoted and newly hired education personnel in Region II who took their oaths last week.

“And because supporting our teachers means investing in their growth, we have expanded opportunities for career advancement,” Marcos said.

The President also cited efforts to reduce teachers’ administrative workload and expand non-teaching support so educators can spend more time on classroom instruction.

DepEd earlier said it had reduced regular school paperwork from 174 forms to five. Teachers also now receive a ₱10,000 annual teaching allowance, medical assistance of up to ₱7,000 and additional wellness benefits.

Marcos said teachers would also continue receiving the World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit every 5 October.

“Kabilang dito ang World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit na matatanggap ninyo sa tuwing ika-lima ng Oktubre,” he said.

He added that the government is processing the 2024 Performance-Based Bonus and has directed concerned agencies to speed up the process.

Marcos said the administration would continue supporting teachers’ professional development while improving their welfare and working conditions.

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III were among the officials who attended the event. Dy remains the incumbent House speaker.