By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
“Wala nang teacher ang magreretire na Teacher I.”
There’s no better way to define the essence of the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System for Public School Teachers than this remarkable pronouncement of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., which earned applause from teachers and school principals that reverberated through the walls of the Tacloban City Convention Center.
In an oath-taking ceremony on Wednesday, 2,121 educators and school heads from Eastern Visayas took their pledges to wholeheartedly serve the country by indoctrinating the youth with knowledge and skills that would contribute to the nation’s growth and development.
They were among the approximately 65,000 teachers and school principals who were promoted under the ECP System from August 2025 until April 2026, thus fulfilling the President’s pledge during his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) that no teacher will have to wait for decades to get promoted from Teacher I to Teacher III.
President Marcos Jr. addressed the educators, “Mas malinaw na po ang landas ninyo, hindi niyo na po kailangang mag-antay nang matagal para umasenso. We have also implemented other programs to promote our teachers’ welfare.”
He went on to underscore the importance of this initiative, noting that this effectively revamps the outdated system that limits career growth opportunities for teachers, thus contributing to large-scale losses in the education system.
This, compounded by the significant shortage of teachers who would educate the youth, does not bode well for the future of the nation if left unchecked and unresolved.
Other initiatives geared towards teachers’ welfare
Under the ECP System, teachers are provided with 2 distinct career pathways: classroom teaching and school administration, and new positions which include Teacher IV to Teacher VII, Master Teacher V to VI, and School Principal V.
This equates to thousands of new teaching positions that have been opened and filled to provide better support to students, as well as providing for a clear segregation between academic duties and administrative responsibilities through the non-teaching positions that are specifically intended to support school operations.
On top of the ECP System, President Marcos Jr. likewise cited the “Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Maam at Sir” o SPIMS Employment Program—a joint project between the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Department of Education (DepEd)—among the plethora of initiatives that the government has in support of educators in public schools.
Said program enables overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to pass the licensure examination for teachers, which would enable them to harness their experience of working abroad to bolster the education system and empower the Filipino youth, while simultaneously addressing the shortage of teachers in the country.
The Chief Executive wrapped up his remarks by acknowledging the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices of teachers, who toiled hard to earn their well-deserved promotions, “In times like these, especially, our world needs more teachers like you who always go beyond just academic instruction but help students develop their own character.”
The ECP System was signed into effect by virtue of Executive Order No. 174 s. 2022, and was institutionalized in September 2025 through Republic Act No. 12288 or the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders Act.
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