A clear outcome of coordinated leadership across the executive branch under President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
This was how Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia described the promotion of more than 16,000 public school teachers by the Department of Education, saying how teacher promotion backlogs have persisted for years, slowed by structural and administrative constraints that were often acknowledged but rarely resolved.
“This time, they were resolved and that did not happen overnight. This did not occur by accident. It required executive clarity and the political will to address inefficiencies that had been allowed to linger for far too long,” he said.
Goitia noted that at the department level, Education Secretary Sonny Angara translated national priorities into operational results, adding that the promotions required close coordination on funding, plantilla management and personnel approvals.
“That kind of alignment does not happen in silos. This is what functional governance looks like. When the President sets the direction and Cabinet members execute with discipline, long-standing problems finally move,” he added.
Beyond rank and compensation, Goitia said the promotions restore morale and professional dignity among educators who form the backbone of the public school system, stressing how clearing backlogs sends a signal that service and performance still matter, and that the system can work for those who sustain it.
“You cannot speak seriously about education reform while neglecting the people who deliver it. By acting on teacher promotions, the Marcos administration is strengthening education from the inside out,” he said.
Goitia added that the decision may not command sustained headlines and likely never will, but its impact will be felt daily in classrooms nationwide.
“It reflects a governing approach that favors coordination, restraint and delivery, rather than noise for its own sake. Good governance is not always loud. Sometimes, it simply works and when it does, the results endure,” he said.
Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia serves as Chairman Emeritus of four civic-oriented organizations namely, Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI) and Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement, where he advocates for truth, stability and the dignity of the Filipino people.
