By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
“Teaching is a partnership—between teachers and learners, between generations, between those who dream and those who make dreams possible. And it is in this collaboration that the strength of our nation is built.”
Following his earlier engagement at the Philippine Development Forum 2025 in Mandaluyong City, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. extended his heartfelt appreciation at the celebration of the National Teachers’ Day on Monday.
At the event, Marcos honored the indispensable role of educators in indoctrinating the youth with values, skills, knowledge, and experiences that broaden their perspectives and shape their identities as the next generation of Filipinos to bring the nation into the future.
The President addressed teachers from Regions I, II, III, IV, V, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), “In every classroom across the Philippines—from the busiest city to the farthest, most isolated barrio—teachers impart far more than just knowledge. You shape lives. You mold values. And in return, you learn patience, courage, and hope from the very children that you guide.”
Raising the bar on education
President Marcos, moreover, noted the various initiatives launched by the administration that underscore education’s role in nation building and contributing to meaningful change for the citizenry in the diaspora.
Such includes the launch of the Department of Education (DepEd) Heroes—an award honoring the deeds of teachers, parents, and education partners whose work greatly contributed to the betterment of students’ lives, and the signing of Republic Act No. 11997 (Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act) in 2024, which provides a tax-free teaching allowance for public school teachers.
Marcos likewise noted the issuance of DepEd Order No. 005 s. 2024, which ensures that teachers are given just compensation if they exceed six hours of classroom instruction in a day, which is complemented by a 57% reduction in the paperwork needed to be accomplished by educators, which allows them to focus more on teaching and not on bureaucratic requirements.
“And today, on World Teachers’ Day, we also provide a P1,000 incentive for every public school teacher —a little reminder man lang, kaunti lang paalala, that we recognize your efforts and your sacrifices and they have not gone unrecognized,” the President shared.
He added further, “But beyond allowances, we have also partnered with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to launch the e-Learning Academy on personal finance and economics, empowering teachers to become financially literate citizens.”
President Marcos capped off the exhaustive list of education-centric government initiatives by highlighting the recently signed Republic Act No. 12288 (Career Progression System for Public School Teachers) and P26.55 billion in funds reallocated from the flood control projects to bolster the education sector, which forms part of the proposed 2026 budget for DepEd.
The Chief Executive concluded his remarks by reiterating his marching orders on DepEd to ensure that meaningful reforms in the field of education reach even the farthest corners of the country and strike a chord with educators and learners alike to bring them up to speed with the rapid advancements in technology and progress.
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