Disclose on our site: Marcos' lack of comment on the educational predicament
In response to President Bongbong Marcos' 2025 State of the Nation Address, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has voiced strong criticism towards the government for failing to address the ongoing education crisis, particularly in the private sector.
The ACT highlighted that despite the President's promise of a ₱24,000 salary subsidy for private school teachers and additional compensation for overload and overtime, these measures fall short of the demand for a ₱50,000 entry-level salary and job security, which remain urgent issues for educators.
The real value of Metro Manila's P645 minimum wage, after adjusting for inflation, stands at P522. However, this is far from enough for private educators who survive on starvation wages, with teachers earning as little as P17,500 monthly. The ACT's criticism suggests that President Marcos is disconnected from the people's struggles.
The ACT's Secretary-General made a statement, emphasizing that Filipino teachers and education workers continue to suffer from poverty and lack of institutional support despite their critical role in national development. Systemic underfunding results in substandard and inaccessible education for millions of students.
The ACT demands immediate wage increases, national industrialization, and genuine land reform to rebuild the economy. They staged their own "People's SONA" to protest the government's mismanagement and continued low wages in education.
President Marcos' speech was primarily filled with empty boasts, evading the education crisis, including overcrowded classrooms, unpaid benefits, and a P551 daily gap between minimum wage and the P1,200 family living wage. The President's silence on wage hikes for private-sector workers, abandonment of teachers' welfare, and evasion of pressing social issues was also noted by the ACT.
The education crisis will continue to worsen until teachers earn living wages and schools get adequate funding. The ACT's call for the government to "seriously address the education crisis" underscores deep dissatisfaction with the incremental measures announced in the SONA, which they view as insufficient to stem the decades-long problems in the private and public education sectors.
In comparison, teachers in Vietnam and Thailand earn P59,000 monthly. The ACT questions the leadership of President Marcos, given that teachers often skip meals to buy school supplies. Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma was also criticized for falsely claiming that P645 is "Southeast Asia's highest" minimum wage.
The ACT Private Schools has condemned President Bongbong Marcos' 2025 State of the Nation Address due to its glaring silence on urgent issues plaguing private-sector educators. The ACT's response combined demands for higher, living wages, comprehensive education reform, and greater government investment, along with protest actions highlighting the ongoing struggles of private-sector educators and the broader education system in the Philippines.
- The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has criticized the government for not adequately addressing the ongoing education crisis, particularly in the private sector, following President Bongbong Marcos' 2025 State of the Nation Address.
- The ACT's Secretary-General has emphasized that Filipino teachers continue to suffer from poverty and lack of institutional support, despite their critical role in national development and education-and-self-development.
- The ACT has called for immediate wage increases, national industrialization, and genuine land reform to rebuild the economy, which is deeply connected to the education sector.
- The ACT Private Schools has condemned President Bongbong Marcos' 2025 State of the Nation Address due to its glaring silence on urgent issues plaguing private-sector educators, demanding comprehensive education reform and greater government investment.
