The Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) acknowledges President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s mention of the education sector in his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), particularly his declaration of support for public school teachers and learners. However, we find the Presidents message lacking in depth, clarity and commitment in truly addressing the systemic challenges that teachers and students face every day.

In our statement released on July 27, we outlined the urgent concerns confronting the education sectorfrom class disruption due to flooding, overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated facilities to the glaring lack of digital resources for teachers, books and other materials for learners and basic school infrastructure. Unfortunately, the Presidents speech failed to comprehensively address these issues, nor did it present any clear roadmap or commitment to resolve them.

We welcome the Presidents recognition of the need to provide overtime pay to public school teachers. However, we must stress that this right has already been enshrined in law since 1966 under the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (RA 4670), but has never been implemented. For nearly six decades, this provision has been ignored. Mere recognition without concrete action only perpetuates the injustice.
Moreover, President Marcos failed to mention the education budget in his SONA, a glaring omission considering that under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), education is no longer the highest priority in national spending—a stark departure from what the Constitution mandates. 

We continue to call on the government to uplift the teaching profession through salary increases, free provision of laptops and other digital tools, accessible medical benefits, and a genuine commitment to teachers welfare. Tangible and timely support is urgently needed instead of lip service.
Finally, we challenge President Marcos to visit public schools unannounced, talk directly to teachers, parents and students, and witness the true state of education. Listening only to the DepEd secretary or high-ranking officialsmany of whom appear more concerned with releasing curated media materials to paint a positive image will not give the President the honest picture he needs to lead meaningful reforms. 

TDC stands ready to engage in dialogue, not for publicity, but for action. #
>>>
Below are the statements of the TDC in each of the issues mentioned by the president.
PBBMs acknowledgement of the crisis in education.
TDC Reaction 

The Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) acknowledges the Presidents recognition of the deepening education crisis and the administrations commitment to prioritize systemic reforms and increase investment in the education sector. However, we emphasize that genuine change requires urgent and concrete actionparticularly in improving school facilities, providing adequate learning materials, and safeguarding the welfare of teachers who are at the center of this transformation. It would have been more reassuring if the President had explicitly stated that the largest share of the national budget will be allocated to education agencies, rather than to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), as reflected in his governments approval of the controversial 2025 General Appropriations Act.
On the implementation of Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning or ARAL Program and strengthening Early Childhood Care and Development.

TDC Reaction:
These programs the ARAL Program and the strengthening of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD)are essential to learning recovery and the holistic development of our young people. In particular, we urge the government to invest in facilities and localized ECCD programs at the barangay and community levels to ensure accessibility and equity. However, in the case of the ARAL Program, we strongly emphasize that its implementation must not disrupt regular teaching and learning nor add to the already heavy workload of teachers. These initiatives must be accompanied by adequate support, clear implementation guidelines, and proper compensation for the educators involved.
On Bullying and guidance and counselling program. 

TDC Reaction:
Indeed there is an urgent need to address mental health challenges and bullying in schools. And while the law on mental health and well-being in basic education is already in place, its proper implementation remains a major concern. We call for the mass hiring of guidance counselors and other mental health professionals with competitive salaries, as well as concrete measures such as strengthened values and citizenship education, and the reduction of class sizes to create safer and more nurturing learning environments.Top of Form
Bottom of Form
On the target of 40, 000 additional classrooms.

TDC Reaction:
While we recognize President Marcos commitment to build 40,000 more classrooms before the end of his term, it should be emphasized that classroom shortage has long been a perennial issue in the education sector and remains the primary cause of school congestion and disrupted learning. Even if the current target were doubled, it would still fall short of addressing the estimated 165,000-classroom backlog reported by the DepEd this year. A drastic shift in fiscal policy is needed to close this gapnot reliance on public-private partnerships, which are often riddled with business interests and considerations. 
On laptop for every teacher.

TDC Reaction:
We will closely monitor the fulfillment of the Presidents promise to provide laptops, as this remains one of the most pressing concerns of our teachers. These devices are essential tools for effective teaching and must be provided free of chargenot offered as loans that further burden our already financially challenged educators. Quality laptops should be a non-negotiable daily necessity for teachers, just as service firearms are for law enforcement personnel. Regarding the unresolved issue of laptop procurement during the previous administration, we call for full transparency and accountability. Anyone proven to be involved in fraudulent dealingswhether private businessmen or government officialsmust be held accountable and punished accordingly.
On provision of high-tech and digital materials.

TDC Reaction:
The government should equip learners with digital tools and materials, but we remind the administration that the promise of digitization was already made during last years SONA and must not remain unfulfilled. To truly modernize education, the government must ensure that both public school teachers and students have consistent access to the internet, devices and other essential digital resources. This must go hand in hand with ensuring electricity in all schools across the country, especially in remote areas, through the development and deployment of clean and renewable energy sources.
On the performance evaluation of teachers.

TDC Reaction:
We reiterate our longstanding position against the current cumbersome, complicated, and often unrealistic performance rating system, which has not only led to unfair evaluations and career stagnation among teachers, but has also encouraged mass promotion of students regardless of their actual learning progress. TDC strongly recommends the return to a simplified and more effective system such as the Performance Appraisal System for Teachers (PAST), which served the education system effectively and efficiently, for decades. We believe that a fair, realistic, and teacher-friendly evaluation system is essential to improving both teacher morale and student outcomes.
On 60, 000 new teaching items, reduction of clerical tasks and planned digitization of school forms.

TDC Reaction:
We welcome the plan digitization of school forms, as this has the potential to reduce the clerical workload that takes time away from actual teaching. However, this initiative will not effectively ease the burden on teachers unless there are sufficient non-teaching personnel hired to handle administrative taskssomething that has been lacking in practice, leaving teachers still overloaded. While the reported 60,000 teaching items is a positive development, this figure likely reflects cumulative hires since the start of the Marcos administration, and DepEd itself has acknowledged a need for at least 35,000 more teachers to meet current demands and could be more if we are to align with international standards on teacher-student ratio. We urge the government to match its policies with concrete support systems to truly unburden our educators and uplift the quality of education.
On the Provision of Teaching Overload and Overtime Pay.

TDC Reaction:
Overtime pay and teaching overload compensation have been enshrined in law since 1966 under the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (RA 4670), specifically in Sections 13 and 14. Yet, these provisions have remained unimplemented for nearly six decades. In 2008, the Department of Education acknowledged this through DepEd Memorandum No. 291, s. 2008, which clearly established a maximum of six hours of actual classroom teaching per daynot a minimumand provided the basis for compensating overtime work. Unfortunately, this recognition was effectively reversed with the issuance of DepEd Order No. 5, s. 2024, which mandates six hours of daily actual classroom teaching thereby nullifying the intent of the earlier memorandum and making overtime pay virtually impossible. This policy shift not only disregards a legally mandated right but also exacerbates the already heavy workload of public school teachers. The Presidents proud declaration yesterday must be immediately clarified. If it is in reference to the current DepEd policy under Order No. 5, s. 2024, then the applause it received from members of Congress is nothing short of an insult to the Filipino teachers.