Teachers, led by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines and ACT Teachers Party-list, marched to Mendiola in Manila on November 22 to protest the Marcos regime’s low budget for education. Teachers from various Metro Manila schools participated in what they called the Black Lantern Parade.

The teachers said in addition to allocating an extremely low budget for education, the administration continues to ignore calls for a significant budget increase. The Senate’s version of the 2025 budget allocated only ₱793.74 billion for education.

“This is clear evidence of the ongoing criminal neglect of education. It fails to address the chronic lack of resources in basic education,” ACT Teachers president Antonio Tinio said.

The former legislator and the party’s first nominee for the 2025 elections added that the ₱36.81 billion allocated for Basic Education Facilities can only fund 15,000 additional classrooms, which is a mere 1% of the total 150,000 additional classrooms needed nationwide.

“This extremely low budget contradicts the Department of Education’s goal of creating a better learning environment and accelerated lesson delivery,” Tinio further stated. He added that additional funds are needed to address these significant shortages, solve the learning crisis, and promote a patriotic, scientific, and mass-oriented education.

“Complementing the severely low education budget is the meager, paltry, and insulting additional salary for teachers and public employees under SSL VI or EO 64,” ACT chairperson Vladimer Quetua said. He noted that teachers are only receiving an additional ₱50 per day, despite the ongoing steep rise in the prices of goods and other expenses.

“Teachers and government employees cannot expect a bright and happy Christmas if this miserable situation continues while a large portion of public funds are allocated to corruption, war, and the suppression of rights,” the teacher-leader added.

The ACT Philippines and ACT Teachers Party-list called for an increase in the salaries of teachers and government employees. They also demanded to increase the education sector’s budget to 6% of the gross domestic product and to redirect all pork barrel and confidential and intelligence funds to basic social services.