House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro announced her candidacy for senator in the 2025 mid-term elections yesterday, June 26. She made the announcement at the teachers’ gathering for the 42nd anniversary of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Philippines at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

In her speech, Rep. Castro said that her senatorial bid was inspired by her colleagues in the teaching profession, who encouraged her to represent the interests of the sector and the Filipino people in higher office.

“We want to have alternative electoral candidates through the Makabayan [bloc]. We are not convinced with these petty squabbles between the ruling class–Marcos versus Duterte and others,” Rep. Castro said.

Rep. Castro stressed that she wants to push for real change in the country. “That is why we want to push for a Makabayan alternative to run for the senate. I accept the Alliance of Concerned Teachers and the people’s challenge,” she added.

The teachers warmly welcomed Rep. France’s announcement. “The ACT NCR Union is pleased that Cong. France accepted the challenge to run…and the teachers will support that because historically, she will be the first public school teacher in the Senate,” said the teachers’ union in the National Capital Region. The ACT NCR Union represents 80,000 public school teachers in NCR. ACT Private Schools union also supports her candidacy.

Rep. Castro became known for heated hearings in the House of Representatives, especially during the confirmation of government agency budgets. She did not shy away from butting heads with high-ranking officials of the Marcos and Duterte administrations to defend the rights of the Filipino people.

She scrutinized Vice President Sara Duterte’s squandering of ₱125 million in confidential and intelligence funds in just 11 days. She also relentlessly pursued accountability from the former president Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity, including thousands of killings in his war on drugs.

Rep. Castro also stood against the Marcos regime’s railroading of the charter change, as well as against the plunder of public funds for the Maharlika Investment Fund.

Inside the House of Representatives, she filed bills to increase the minimum wage of ordinary workers, teachers’ rights, and reforms in the education sector. Recently, Rep. Castro and the ACT Teachers Partylist pushed for the enactment of the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, which increased the teaching supplies allowance to ₱10,000 from the previous ₱5,000.