Speech by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Mass Oath-taking Ceremony of Newly Promoted Teachers and Principals of Eastern Visayas

Thank you sa kalihim ng ating DepEd, Secretary Sonny Angara. [Magsiupo po tayo.]

Of course, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez; officials and employees of the Department of Education; of course, our beloved Expanded Career Progression Teachers na bagong sumpa [applause] – you are the most important guests that we have here today. And I’m very, very happy to be here to be a witness to the continuing program that we have that will fulfill my promise during my SONA that they will not be… Wala nang mag-retire na Teacher I dito sa atin dahil [applause] hindi naman siguro tama at alam naman natin lahat ang sakripisyo ninyo.

My fellow workers in government; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

Maupay nga adlaw ha iyo ngatanan. (Good day to all of you.)

I am always happy to be back in Tacloban City especially now because I am joining our newly promoted teachers and principals here in Eastern Visayas. [applause]

Let me add my congratulations to all of you on this career milestone. Enjoy this day. You have toiled hard to get here.

The nation, the entire Filipino nation, joins you in recognizing your achievements and affirms the greater responsibility that we have entrusted to you.

Ang mga tinuturuan ninyo ngayon ang susunod na mga inhinyero, mga doktor, mga guro, propesyonal, manggagawa, at mga lider ng ating bansa. Sa kabila nito, hindi pa rin nasusuklian nang sapat ang inyong naging sakripisyo.

For many, many years, our public school teachers have faced many barriers to career growth.

Our old system did not have the positions and clear pathways for advancement.

Moving from Teacher I to Teacher III could take decades. Mayroon tayong mga ibang teacher 30 taon na na naghihintay at ngayon pa lang sila mapo-promote mula sa Teacher I.

And because of this, many of our educators were compelled to move into administrative roles for higher compensation.

In some cases, you even had to step away from the thing that you love the most—teaching—in search of better opportunities in other areas, in other fields. It only worsens – that situation only worsens the shortage of teachers in the country [and] undermines the country’s overall educational system.

Kaya’t sinabi ko na kailangang ipatupad ang Expanded Career Progression or ECP System para sa ating mga guro sa mga pampublikong paaralan.

We established the ECP System in 2022 through Executive Order No. 174. In September last year, we institutionalized the system through the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders Act.

Ito ‘yung batas na nagbibigay sa atin ng kakayahan upang i-implement itong ating bagong programa.

Under the ECP System, teachers now have two distinct pathways: it can be Classroom Teaching or School Administration.

More importantly, it created new positions, including Teacher IV to Teacher VII, Master Teacher V to VI, and School Principal V, so that our teachers can advance their careers with clearer direction.

Mula noong August 2025 hanggang ngayong Abril, almost – more than 65,000 teachers at school heads ang ating na-promote na. [applause] Kasama na rito ang 2,121 na teachers at principals dito sa Eastern Visayas na kasama ngayong araw na nag-oath-taking.

All these promotions are well-deserved and will provide stability for our educators as they advance in their careers. Marami pa po tayong ipo-promote sa mga darating na buwan.

Kaya uulitin ko po: Wala ng teacher ang magre-retire na Teacher I. [applause]

Mas malinaw na po ang landas ninyo. Hindi niyo na po kailangang maghintay nang matagal para umasenso.

We have also implemented other programs to promote our teachers’ welfare.

Thousands of new teaching positions have been opened and filled to better support our students.

To ease teachers’ administrative burden, non-teaching positions have been created and filled to support school operations.

We likewise released the full PhP10,000 teaching supply allowance for School Year 2025 to 2026. [applause] This is to provide additional support for the purchase of teaching supplies and materials.

Nais ko lang din banggitin ang programang Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir o SPIMS Program ng Department of Migrant Workers at DepEd. Nakilala po natin ‘yung dalawang umuwi under the new SPIMS Program.

Layunin ng SPIMS ang tulungan ang mga Filipino OFWs na makapasa sa Licensure Examination for Teachers ng sila’y makapagtrabaho sa ating mga pampublikong paaralan.

Sila ay makakatulong sa paglutas ng teacher shortage sa bansa. Tiyak ko po na ang inyong karanasan sa labas ng bansa ay magiging dagdag-lakas sa ating sistema.

All of these changes we are making will strengthen our education system in the long run.

These reforms will lift morale and retain our best teachers here in our country.

It will also ensure that experience and talent will remain in our schools as we offer them more opportunities and better compensation.

Ladies and gentlemen, the world has become more uncertain lately. And so, your role as teachers and administrators of our school [is] more important than ever.

Hindi lamang kayo nagtuturo ng kaalaman sa ating mga kabataan. Kasama na rin kayo [ng] mga magulang na nagtuturo ng disiplina, ng tiyaga, [at] ng katatagan sa ating mga kabataan.

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.

Once again, let me congratulate our newly promoted teachers and school heads. [applause] As we always remember that our future rests on the young minds that are in your hands and in your care and that you will help nurture today so that we have a brighter tomorrow.

Nawa’y ang araw na ito ay maging inspirasyon ninyong lahat upang ipagpatuloy ang inyong mahalagang tungkulin sa Bagong Pilipinas.

Damo gud nga salamat ha iyo nga tanan. (Thank you very much.)

Mabuhay ang ating mga guro! [applause]

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