Teachers led by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines protested in front of the Department of Education (DepEd) office in Pasig City on July 7, a month after classes opened for the school year 2026-2027. They urged the department to take immediate action against the inhumane workload under the three-term school calendar and the implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.

The three-term school calendar is DepEd’s modified system that divides the school year into three terms instead of the traditional four. Meanwhile, the ARAL Program is a national learning recovery program designed to help students struggling with reading, mathematics, and science.

“We are teachers, not machines! Raise salaries, not the workload! A month into the school year, we are still adjusting to the modified system and are exhausted by the sheer volume of work piled onto us. The agency repeatedly fails us and sacrifices us for sudden reforms, while our salaries remain low, benefits are left behind, and promotions are difficult and limited,” said Ruby Bernardo, ACT chairperson.

ACT reported that many teachers work excessive hours to prepare, assess, write reports, and perform other duties without receiving proper compensation.

“Reforms cannot be considered successful if they rely on extracting additional labor from teachers without addressing the structural constraints of the education system,” Bernardo said. She added that classroom congestion, teacher shortages, and the lack of education support personnel directly affect teaching quality, student welfare, and school safety.

“These are measurable deficiencies that require commensurate investments, not temporary administrative adjustments,” Bernardo said.

ACT also criticized the limited promotion opportunities under the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) system, which they said is underfunded and insufficient.

“Career progression cannot succeed without corresponding public investment. The limited number of plantilla items shows that the government has not adequately funded its own reform. For the overwhelming majority of teachers, promotion remains more aspiration than opportunity,” Bernardo said.

ACT reiterated its demands to raise the entry-level salary of teachers to ₱50,000 per month, increase the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) to ₱5,000, immediately suspend and review the three-term school calendar, and remove the ARAL program from teachers’ workloads. The group suggested hiring tutors for the ARAL program and providing them with just compensation. The group also called for a higher education budget to accelerate the hiring of additional teachers and support staff, build more classrooms, and procure adequate school supplies.