Marcos honors teachers, holds concert in Malacañang
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed on Monday, October 2, 2023, that the administration will continue to work hard to address the needs of the education sector including teachers.
“As National Teachers' Month comes to a close, we pay tribute to the heroes of children’s education! As we thank you for all that you do, we also continue to work harder to improve your lives,” Marcos said in a Facebook post.
“The Marcos-Duterte administration will remain hard at work in addressing the needs of our schools, our teachers, and our students,” he added.
As part of the celebration for the annual National Teachers Month, Marcos and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio led on Sunday, October 1, a concert honoring the country’s teachers at the Malacañan Palace grounds.
Various artists from across the country performed during the event dubbed “Konsyerto sa Palasyo Para sa Mahal Nating Guro.”
Various teachers from different parts of the country expressed their gratitude to Marcos for giving them the platform to be heard.
Schools Division Superintendent of Basilan, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) Myra Borja Mangkabung said she felt valued by the simple gestures when Marcos dedicated the “Konsyerto sa Malacañang” to all teachers, noting it was her first time to step foot in Malacañang.
“We are very happy now na may boses na tayo. Napapakinggan nila ang boses ng mga guro (They heard the teachers' voice). We lift our Filipino people from poverty. So, maraming salamat (Thank you), President [Marcos],” Mangkabung said.
Michelle Rubio, Education Innovation Ambassador of Sorsogon, and Engineer Reynaldo Ramos said they also felt appreciated.
“Having this event inside the Malacañang, it really boosts our morale as a teacher na napapahalagahan ng ating gobyerno ang mga sipag, tiyaga ng mga guro sa Pilipinas (our government appreciates the hard work and perseverance of teachers in the Philippines),” Ramos said.
“Ito po ‘yung isang masasabi ko na isang ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ kung paano tayo makatulong sa ating bayan o sa ating bansa,” he added.
(This is the one that I can say is a 'New Philippines' in how we can help our people or our country.)
For her part, Duterte assured all teachers that the Marcos administration, the National Government, and the local government units (LGUs) will always support them.
“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa lahat ng mga guro sa serbisyo nila sa bayan natin at nagpapa-abot tayo ng suporta sa kanila na maging matatag sila sa hamon ng pagpapa-aral nang mabuti sa ating mga learners,” she said.
(We thank all the teachers for their service to our country and we extend support to them to be strong in the challenge of educating our learners well.)
“At nandito lagi ang Department of Education at ang buong national government kasali ang mga local government units natin na susuporta sa ating mga guro at mga paaralan,” she added.
(And the Department of Education and the entire National Government including our local government units are always here to support our teachers and schools.) (SunStar Philippines)