DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Party-list criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ‘s administration for failing largely to deliver on its commitments to improve the education sector ahead of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27.
ACT representative Antonio Tinio said the government’s pace of classroom construction remains far behind what is needed despite Marcos Jr.’s commitments in his 2025 SONA.
“In the first place, the actual shortage is more like 165,000 classrooms. The target is already small compared to the actual shortage, and yet actual classroom construction is still slow,” Tinio said.
Tinio said the lack of classrooms reflects what he described as the administration’s inadequate response to longstanding problems in the education sector.
He also raised the issue of the administration’s incomplete fulfillment of the promise that no public school teacher would retire with the entry-level Teacher I rank.
While acknowledging that some teachers have been promoted, he said many qualified educators continue to wait because of insufficient funding.
“Many are qualified but there’s no budget… some are near retirement, but because the budget is short, they’re still waiting,” he said.
Tinio also criticized the implementation of the MATATAG curriculum.
“They shortened the minutes per class, making it 45 minutes. But because DepEd’s policy is six hours a day of teaching, the practical effect has been an additional teaching load per day for teachers.”
He said Marcos Jr.’s commitment to improve internet connectivity in public schools has yet to be realized, with many teachers and students continuing to shoulder their own internet expenses.
“Even in schools that are not GIDA [Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas], internet access is lacking. Many schools provide it on their own… It still largely comes out of the personal expenses of teachers, employees and students.”
He also linked the slow pace of classroom construction to government spending priorities plagued by corruption.
“It’s corruption-driven, meaning wherever there’s a big kickback, that’s what gets funded. Secretary Angara admitted as much when he said classroom construction slowed down because the DPWH prioritized flood control.”
Tinio, one of the complainants in the Ombudsman investigation into P4.4 billion worth of flood control projects implemented in Davao City’s First District from 2019 to 2022, said stronger accountability is necessary to ensure public funds are directed toward essential services such as education.
He argued that the administration’s overall response to education remains inadequate compared with the scale of the sector’s problems.
“Compared to the magnitude of the problems, the Marcos Jr. administration’s actions fall far short in addressing the problems of education,” he said. (davaotoday.com)
