January 27, 2025
Baguio – Teachers from across the country marched along downtown Baguio on Sunday in support of impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, demanding that the former education secretary be held accountable for questionable use of government funds.
This is a precursor to a nationwide call to action to be issued in Manila and major cities on January 31, said Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) national president Vladimer Quetua, who convened its members for a national leadership training seminar at the Teachers Association .
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, this year's International Education Day, Quitua said teachers were very unhappy with the new budget law, which reduces funding for schools but retains funding for classified intelligence.
READ: Marcos fails to block impeachment push with VP Duterte – Palace
“The New Year has just begun, but the Filipino people are once again faced with old problems. The budget intended for them is being allocated haphazardly, which proves how vicious corruption has become,” he said in Filipino.
The total allocation for education in the expenditure law (General Appropriations Act of 2025) is P6.326 trillion, still the highest at P1.055 trillion, including the budget of the Department of Education (DepEd), Board of Education. Skills Development Authority and all national universities (now including the Philippine Military Academy).
But various government reports show that deep cuts have affected the Department of Education's computerization plans.
500 teachers
About 500 teachers from across the country were expected to attend the summit, but only about 70 teacher representatives walked to Igorot Park to accommodate heavy traffic jams on Sunday.
They were joined by outgoing Rep. France Castro on the ACT list and former Rep. Antonio Tinio. Antonio Tinho will be the top candidate.
Some of them held placards demanding another increase in teaching base wages: “Lutasin ang kahirapan: Sahod itaas, presyo ibaba (solve poverty: raise wages, lower commodity prices).”
Other placards expressed dissatisfaction with President Marcos for not imposing harsher punishments on former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter: “Singilin si Marcos sa Hindi pagpapanagot sa mga Duterte (Let Marcos do not Let the Duterte family pay for their crimes and be held accountable).
Tinio told the crowd that congressional investigations have determined how the vice president mishandled confidential funds inserted into the Department of Education budget while he was secretary of the Department of Education.
“She spent the money in 11 days,” he said, referring to the 125 million pesos of confidential funds she spent in 11 days in 2022.
Marcos did not support any impeachment motions in Congress.
Castro has often criticized the Department of Education's confidential fund because it targets teachers' unions and associations deemed “communist sympathizers” for daring to oppose government policies.
inflation
Tinio also spoke about how soaring inflation affects Baguio and Benguet provinces, which are Manila’s main suppliers of daily salad vegetables such as beans, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower. He said teachers noticed the high prices of vegetables while buying “pasalubong” (back-to-school gifts) at the Baguio City Public Market.
“Where is the 20 pesos per kilogram of rice promised by the president? How much does it cost? [at the local markets]? 60 pesos per kilogram,” Tinio said.
“To combat inflation, high salaries are necessary not only for us teachers, but also for other government workers, such as the police who escort and protect our marches, as well as ordinary private sector workers,” he said.
Capital Territory officials said that is why the rallying cry of the January 31 rally, especially by Liwasang Bonifacio, will be “Singilin si Marcos, panagutin mga Duterte.”
