As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in Region 9 staged symbolic protests across public schools in Zamboanga del Sur, demanding urgent reforms in the education sector.
Liza Idiang , ACT Teachers Region 9 president, said members hung tarpaulins in various campuses to amplify their calls for a P50,000 basic monthly salary for teachers, improved benefits, and stronger protection of their rights.
Teachers are overworked, underpaid, under supported and under attack, she said.
The group also denounced what they described as persistent red-tagging and profiling harassment against educators.
Among the demands emblazoned on the tarpaulins were salary upgrading to reflect the scope of teachers’ responsibilities; increased education budget to fund classrooms, chairs, and learning facilities; accountability for corruption in the education sector; and end to red-tagging and harassment of teachers
Idiang stressed that the current pay scale no longer matches the workload and responsibilities shouldered by educators. ‘Our action today is meant to show the President and the government the real situation of teachers – that our salaries are insufficient and our rights are under threat,’ she said.
The group reiterated its appeal for the administration to prioritize salary increase, adequate benefits, and systemic reforms that would strengthen the teaching profession and uplift the education sector nationwide.