With umbrellas in hand and rain pouring down, Filipino teachers left their classrooms and took to the streets on World Teachers’ Day — not just to celebrate, but to fight.
Their march to Mendiola, Manila, echoed across the country as educators demanded urgent reforms, better wages, and accountability amid the corruption scandal tied to flood control projects.
In Metro Manila, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) staged a satirical “game show” to dramatize what they called the government’s “poor deals” for the education sector. The parody wasn’t for laughs — it was a painful reflection of reality.
Teachers lamented heavy workloads, low salaries, cuts to General Education and Senior High subjects, and even alleged militarization in schools. All these burdens, ACT said, weigh down classrooms while billions are siphoned off into kickbacks, pork barrel funds, and confidential allocations.
“It’s as if the government is putting on a show — drawing lots for projects, dividing kickbacks, and playing games with public funds. But teachers, students, and the people never win. We get no prize in this rotten system — only poverty and danger,” said ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has promised to prioritize education in the 2026 national budget, with the Department of Education (DepEd) highlighting that the proposed allocation will finally meet the UNESCO benchmark of 4% of GDP.
But the revelations of corruption in infrastructure projects — paired with images of politicians’ lavish lifestyles going viral — have only fueled teachers’ anger.
“While we are denied decent facilities and fair pay, corrupt officials are milking public funds. The result? Dilapidated buildings, poor services, and a worsening decline in the quality of education,” Quetua added.
GMA News Online has reached out to the DepEd and the Commission on Higher Education for comments, but both have yet to respond.
Meanwhile, teachers remain clear on what they want:
-
A substantial salary increase for teachers and education staff
-
A doubling of the education budget to 6% of GDP
-
An end to attacks on teachers’ rights
Quetua closed the rally with a warning:
“If the state continues to turn a blind eye, they should brace themselves for even stronger protests.”
On this year’s World Teachers’ Day, the message was loud and clear: teachers deserve more than flowers and greetings — they deserve justice, dignity, and real reform.
