
By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Consistent with the government’s push to uplift the education sector, a total of 1,559 teachers and school heads across the Caraga region took their oaths on Sunday as they moved up the ranks through the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) Program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Representing the Chief Executive at the ceremony, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr. reaffirmed the President’s vision of ensuring that educators and non-teaching staff rightfully receive their promotions after rendering years and even decades of service.
This would entail a notable boost to their careers, that would not only make their lives better but also provide them with expanded opportunities as they rise beyond Teacher I.
This, on top of other government initiatives that would help to address the teaching backlog and ease the burden on teachers, such as the approval of 33,000 new teaching positions in 2026, and the reduction of administrative paperwork vis à vis the appointment of administrative officers and project development officers.
The President’s video message added, “Nagdagdag din tayo ng araw sa inyong uninterrupted annual vacation service credits. Ibinigay na rin natin ang P10,000 na teaching allowance.
Pinalawak din ang coverage ng Special Hardship Allowance para sa mga guro at DepEd personnel na nasa malalayong lugar.”
The 1,559 teachers and school heads from Caraga that were promoted recently are among the nearly 80,000 school personnel that have been promoted under the ECP System since August 2025.
Established under Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022, the ECP system provides a progressive policy framework that enables public school teachers to advance in rank and salary through either classroom teaching or school administration career paths, without having to wait for plantilla vacancies.
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