PBBM directives on teachers’ welfare and learning recovery in full motion in
the Department of Education (DepEd) moved from laying down reforms to making them felt.
Guided by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives, Education Secretary Sonny Angara’s first full year in office saw the 5-Point Agenda gain real traction—most visibly through the Expanded Career Progression system, which finally promoted around 16,000 public school teachers, and the continued rollout of the ARAL Program to support more than three million learners needing targeted academic recovery.
Together, these reforms signaled a shift toward a system that supports both those who teach and those who are catching up.
“Prioridad ng ating ahensiya ang pagsisiguro na may sapat na suporta ang ating mga guro at walang maiiwan na mag-aaral sa ating basic education system,” Secretary Angara said.
Uplifting the Core of the Education System
One of the most significant milestones of the Marcos administration in 2025 was the operationalization of the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System—a long-awaited reform that directly addressed promotion delays experienced by generations of public school teachers across the country.
Under the new promotion system, DepEd promoted 16,025 public school teachers nationwide. In addition, 41,183 teachers are currently undergoing the promotion process, with their applications already submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the next batch.
Beyond career advancement, Angara also ensured that teachers received allowances and benefits designed to support their well-being and empower them to teach more effectively.
DepEd guaranteed the timely release of benefits, including the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act (Teaching Allowance) amounting to P10,000.00, the medical allowance worth P7,000.00, and year-end bonuses such as the Performance Enhancement Incentive (P5,000.00) and the Service Recognition Incentive (P20,000.00), in recognition of teachers’ dedication and service throughout the year.
Teachers are now spending more time in actual classroom instruction, as the agency institutionalized measures that reduced the number of school forms accomplished by teachers by 57% and hired 4,887 support staff to assist them in schools.
Strengthening the Foundation of Learning
Secretary Angara also emphasized that for DepEd to build a more effective and efficient education system, the agency must extend focused support to Filipino learners who are struggling and falling behind their peers.
With the signing of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, DepEd directed all public schools nationwide to implement the initiative—benefiting more than three million learners to date.
The Department also assisted around 92,000 learners last summer through the Literacy Remediation Program and the Bawat Bata Makababasa Program.
As part of the next steps of the reform agenda, Angara aims to support more than three million learners under the ARAL Program and has directed the allocation of a P1-million grant for each of the 131 selected public schools under the Bayang Bumabasa Initiative.
Following the resolution of long-standing procurement challenges in textbook delivery, the Department is also targeting the distribution of 103.9 million textbooks and learning resources to further strengthen DepEd’s literacy programs.
From Policy to Education Transformation
Throughout the year, Secretary Angara and the Department prioritized the effective execution of education reforms to ensure that these initiatives deliver lasting impact for both teachers and learners.
As the year draws to a close, DepEd underscored that these programs and initiatives are part of a broader and deeper transformation of the education sector under President Marcos Jr.’s vision of Bagong Pilipinas.
“Para sa susunod na taon, gamit ang pondong ipinagkaloob sa atin, patuloy tayong magtatayo ng sistema ng edukasyon na tunay na makatutulong sa kapakanan ng ating mga guro, mag-aaral, at sa kinabukasan ng ating bansa,” Angara said.
