Long-serving public school teachers promoted thru ECP program
By Ana-Liza S. Macatangay
LEGAZPI CITY --- For educators who have dedicated decades to the classroom, career advancement has often been a significant challenge. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. addressed the lack of opportunities for teachers by implementing reforms in promotions within the Department of Education.
The Expanded Career Progression (ECP) program, a merit-based initiative established through Executive Order 174, allows public school teachers to rise in the ranks and salary based on their performance.
Under the ECP, teachers can advance without having to wait for administrative vacancies.
For 63-year-old Nora Borela, a resident of Barangay San Jose in Baao, Camarines Sur, this program meant a promotion from the Teacher I rank after 37 years of service.
Thanks to the ECP, Borela was promoted to Teacher III, enabling her to advance her career before retirement, having begun her teaching journey in 1989.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa Presidente at DepEd Secretary Angara kasi po hindi ako magre-retire na Teacher I. At least, ma-promote po ako for Teacher III,” Borela said.
(Thank you, President Marcos and Education Secretary Angara. I’m grateful that I won’t retire as a Teacher I. At least, I was able to get promoted to Teacher III.)
Borela teaches Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan at Agdangan Elementary School in Baao.
Not unlike Borela, Leny Hona, 59, is another long-serving public school teacher in Camarines Sur who has benefited from the program. She teaches Technical-Vocational-Livelihood at Agdangan National High School in the Senior High School program.
After 35 years in the teaching profession, Hona feared she would retire without achieving the promotion she had long hoped for.
However, the program changed the trajectory of her career.
As a result, Hona was promoted from Teacher II to Teacher V, which she describes as the most significant promotion opportunity she has received since the start of the Senior High School program.
“Simula nang Senior High School, eto ang unang pagkakataon na nabigyan kami ng promotion sa pamamagitan ng ECP. Akala ko po ako ay magreretiro na hindi nakakamtan ang pangarap ko na promotion,” Hona said.
(Since the Senior High School was implemented, this is the first time we’ve been given an opportunity for promotion through the ECP. I thought I would retire without getting the promotion I had hoped for.)
For Hona, the promotion represents more than just a promotion. The accompanying salary increase provides vital support for her family and enables her to continue assisting students, especially when they lack essential school supplies.
“Ang promotion ay talagang pinaghihirapan. Kahit ito ay sariling item. Kailangan maging committed, masigasig sa pagtuturo. Kahit ECP, kailangan mataas ang performance rating,” she said.
(You have to work hard for the promotion, even if you already hold the item. You have to stay committed and passionate about teaching. Under the ECP, you also need to maintain high performance ratings.)
According to Salvador Pelingon, the information officer of the DepEd Camarines Sur Schools Division Office, 38 long-serving public school teachers in Camarines Sur are prioritized for promotion under the ECP.
Borela and Hona were among the newly promoted and reclassified educators who took their oaths during a mass oath-taking ceremony on Aug. 7 at the Camarines Sur Freedom Sports Complex in Pili, led by Angara.
In total, 5,354 educators in Camarines Sur were newly promoted and reclassified, while approximately 12,622 educators across the Bicol region benefitted from promotions and reclassifications, according to Pelingon.
In an interview with reporters, Angara said that President Marcos is considering doubling the ECP budget in 2027 to extend the benefits of promotion and career advancement to more teachers.
The program currently has a budget of P6 billion.
“Itong current year, malaki na, P6 billion. Nakita niyo na-process na yung 82,000 promotions, and there are many more several thousands na darating pa,” Angara said, noting that the promotions had been delayed for several decades.
(The P6 billion budget for the ECP is already substantial. We have processed 82,000 promotions, and there are still several thousand more to come.)
“Ito ay utang natin sa kanila na dapat ibigay natin sa kanila,” he added.
(We owe this to them, and we should give them this opportunity.)
Angara also emphasized that the education sector is a top priority for the Marcos administration, with around P1.3 trillion allocated for education in the General Appropriations Act of 2026, marking the highest education budget in the country’s history. (Nicole Frilles contributed to this story /PIA Bicol)
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