FEBRUARY 6, 2026 — The battle lines are drawn: ACT Philippines is daring the Department of Education (DepEd) to finally deliver a P50,000 entry-level salary for public school teachers — or risk dragging the country deeper into an education crisis that’s already bursting at the seams.

DepEd’s recent talks with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) about easing loan terms for teachers may sound like progress, but let’s be real — loans are not the solution. Teachers don’t need more debt flexibility; they need paychecks that actually let them live with dignity. 

As ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo bluntly said, “When teachers are financially secure, the quality of public education improves. This is especially urgent now, as the education crisis has reached critical levels.”

That’s the heart of the issue. Teachers are overworked, underpaid, and expected to hold up the nation’s future while their own pockets remain empty. Isn’t it ironic that the very people tasked with fixing the education crisis are the ones most crushed by it?

Secretary Sonny Angara isn’t a stranger to this fight. Back in his Senate days, he filed bills to raise the minimum salary grade of teachers from 11 to 19. He’s even voiced support for the P50,000 entry-level pay in dialogues with ACT. 

So the question is: will he now walk the talk as DepEd chief, or will teachers be left hanging once again?

ACT isn’t stopping at teachers. They’re also demanding a P36,000 minimum for Salary Grade 1 government employees, Salary Grade 16 for Instructor I positions, and standardized pay for private school teachers to match the public sector. 

It’s a bold package — but one rooted in fairness.

ACT says the government can afford it. They point to nearly P1 trillion allocated for flood control projects between 2023 and 2025. If billions can be poured into infrastructure, why not into the people who educate our children? 

Bernardo insisted, “This is a matter of priorities — valuing educators and the public workforce over corrupt political dynasties, entitled legislators, favored contractors, and bureaucrat capitalists.”

Meanwhile, the glaring omission of salary increases in EDCOM II’s Final Report is another slap in the face. How can we talk about reforming education while ignoring the very foundation — teachers? It’s like patching up a roof while the house crumbles underneath.

A nation that fails to value its teachers is a nation that fails to value its future.

So here we are. Teachers are demanding dignity, ACT is raising the alarm, and DepEd is caught in the middle. Will Angara push this fight to Malacañang and force the issue, or will the education crisis spiral even further?

(Image: Philippine Information Agency)