1,559 promoted Caraga teachers, school heads take oath before Sec. Angara
By Nora L. Molde
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — A long-awaited promotion became a defining milestone for one of Caraga’s longest-serving educators as 1,559 reclassified teachers and school heads in the region took their oath under the Department of Education’s Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System.
Fe Bandola Penales, a mathematics teacher at Tabon National High School under the DepEd Bislig City Division, shared that after 39 years in public service and 17 years in the Teacher III position, she was finally promoted to Teacher VI.
“This promotion is truly a form of professional development for me and a big financial help for my family. I remain committed to serving with dedication and excellence,” Penales said during an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga.
She thanked the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for implementing the ECP system, which provides public school teachers with improved salary grades, expanded benefits, greater career mobility, and more opportunities for professional advancement while remaining in classroom teaching.
Penales was among the 1,559 promoted teachers and school heads from the seven divisions of the Department of Education in Caraga who formally took their oath before Sec. Sonny Angara, during the first batch of a mass oath-taking ceremony held at the Agusan Valley Convention Center in Barangay San Isidro, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur and witnessed by Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Lagdameo Jr.
Education Secretary Angara underscored that the initiative forms part of President Marcos’ commitment to ensuring that no public school teacher retires in the entry-level Teacher I position.
“Most people only see the promotion. What they do not see are your early mornings, your late nights, and how you set aside your own concerns for the sake of your students,” Angara said.
“This promotion is not a simple administrative action. This is about dignity. This is about finally giving our deserving teachers a clearer path forward,” he added.
The oath-taking covered personnel from the divisions of Agusan del Sur with 600, Bayugan City with 104, Bislig City with 75, Dinagat Islands with 126, Siargao with 108, Surigao del Sur with 488, and Tandag City with 58.
In a video message, President Marcos reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening support for public school teachers through faster promotion opportunities, reduced administrative workload, and expanded benefits under the ECP system.
“We cannot allow the sacrifices of our teachers to go unrecognized and unsupported. That is why I stated in my State of the Nation Address that no public school teacher should retire as Teacher I,” the President said.
Established under Executive Order No. 174, S. of 2022, the ECP system serves as a progressive policy framework that enables teachers and school heads to advance in rank and salary through classroom teaching or school administration tracks without waiting for vacant plantilla positions.
The ceremony also recognized 23 of the region’s longest-serving educators who dedicated up to 39 years in public service, including 91 teachers nearing retirement who finally achieved long-awaited promotions after remaining in Teacher I positions for many years.
The mass oath-taking coincided with the opening of this year’s Palarong Pambansa on Sunday, May 24, hosted by the provincial government of Agusan del Sur. (NCLM, PIA Agusan del Norte)
