Citing PBBM’s Plans for Education, ACT Grades First SONA ‘Needs a Lot of Improvement’

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines issued a statement dated July 25 after President Bongbong Marcos’ first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in relation to the education sector.

ACT called Marcos' plans for education "empty," saying the president did not mention any appropriate solutions for the requirements for a safe return to school, such as smaller class sizes and having sufficient number of classrooms, teachers, nurses, guidance counselors, facilities, and more to ensure the well-being and safety of the entire school community.

In a separate statement dated July 26, the progressive group also expressed their disappointment for the exclusion of the teachers’ salary hike and other more important education problems in Marcos’ SONA.

According to ACT Philippines Chairperson Vladimer Quetua, Marcos’ proposal to use English as the primary medium of learning would “further deteriorate” the quality of education as students would likely have a hard time understanding their lessons.

"To make matters worse, as if their cluelessness in solving the problematic K to 12 system is not enough, they would add another burden to teachers and students in the form of mandatory Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) for students in Grades 11 and 12. ROTC, which is rife with abuse, is not the answer to instilling nationalism among the youth. The problem is in the curriculum of the K to 12 itself, because it weakened the teaching of Filipino and Philippine history," Quetua added.

The progressive group likened Marcos' maiden SONA to a poorly performing student who is usually given a grade that leaves much to be desired.

“For Mr. Marcos, the grade we can give for his first SONA is ‘needs a lot of improvement,’” Quetua said.