Various groups from the education sector held a protest in Mendiola despite inclement weather to raise urgent demands to the government on Thursday, October 5.
Marching from España Boulevard to the Mendiola Peace Arc, the protest led by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) was participated by teachers, education workers, and students in commemoration of World Teacher’s Day.
In an ambush interview, ACT-NCR Chairperson Vladimir Quetua reiterated their long-standing demands, including the salary increase of teachers and education workers, improvement of their benefits, and further attention on the free college education program.
“Sa katunayan ang sahod ng mga teacher ay napakababa. Hindi matatawag na living wage, tapos ang mga benepisyo ay binabarat… Wala kaming naririnig sa [administrasyong] Marcos-Duterte, especially the [DepEd] secretary, kundi ang pagtaas ng confidential and intelligence fund,” Quetua said.
Other key speakers from the group also criticized the government’s poor response to the problems of many teachers and called for the abolition of confidential and intelligence funds.
Meanwhile, PISARA, the cultural arm of ACT, performed a heartfelt interpretative dance showcasing the plight of teachers in the country.
Based on a survey conducted by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Private Schools (ACT Private Schools) in June, more than three in five private school teachers earn less than the entry-level salary for their public school counterparts.
Additionally, the current salaries of public school teachers only range from ₱23,000 to ₱27,000—which is not a sustainable living wage for families in the Philippines, according to Quetua.
Under heavy downpour, the group voluntarily dispersed after the two-hour program.