By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
“Hindi naman tama na ibinibigay ninyo ang napakalaking bahagi ng inyong buhay sa pagtuturo, tapos ‘di kayo uunlad sa inyong propesyon.”
This statement perfectly captures the unwavering commitment of the administration in its thrust to uplift education sector workers.
In a ceremony on Friday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the mass oath-taking ceremony of 4,125 newly promoted and newly hired education personnel of DepEd Region II in Santiago City, Isabela.
The teachers and school heads who rose up the ranks and got a new job form part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the workforce and support the delivery of basic education in the Cagayan Valley Region.
As of September 2026, more than 82,000 teachers and school heads were promoted nationwide under the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System.
President Marcos Jr. reiterated his praise for the Philippines’ improved PISA scores in 2025, “Napapag-usapan at nakakatiyak naman ako na nabalitaan ninyo sa PISA 2025, tumaas ang score ng Pilipinas sa reading, sa science, sa mathematics kumpara noong 2022. Kaya marami pong salamat sa lahat ng ating mga guro, ating mga principal.”
He went on to reaffirm his commitment to improving security in schools, on the heels of successive shooting incidents that took place in Tacloban City in June, Zamboanga City in August, and South Cotabato in September.
After the ceremony, the Chief Executive went to Patul Elementary School to oversee the rollout of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Kaagapay Program that would help parents to identify signs of bullying, abuse, and other safety risks in their children’s behavior for prompt intervention and response.
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