The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) yesterday declared the nationwide sit-down strike a success, with 237 schools across 34 major cities and provinces in 14 regions participating in the day-long activity.
Classrooms across the country transformed into spaces of protest and political discussion, as educators conducted full-day “alternative classes” inside their rooms, halting regular instruction to confront the roots of “the worsening crisis in the sector.”
The campus protests pushed through despite some DepEd regional and division offices issuing directives discouraging teachers from joining the sit-down strike, warning them of possible “consequences” if they participate, ACT’s leadership said.
ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo stated that no memo from higher authorities can criminalize the constitutional right of teachers to protest unjust conditions.
“Ang protesta ng teachers ngayon ay ligal at lehitimo, at para sa ikabubuti ng buong bayan (The protest of teachers today is legal and legitimate, and benefits the whole country). No memo, no threat, and no bureaucratic scare tactic can silence our demand for justice, a living wage, and an end to systemic corruption,” she said.
“Once again, teachers have made history. Today, we have especially fulfilled the ultimate goals of education, which are to espouse social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and good governance,” added Bernardo.
According to ACT’s chairperson, yesterday’s protest highlighted teachers’ four urgent demands:
1) Doubled the education budget to meet shortages in classrooms, personnel, and basic education needs.
2) A living wage and long-overdue salary upgrading.
3) Accountability for widespread corruption that has destroyed schools, communities, and public trust.
4) Meaningful social and systemic change to end the cycle of crisis in public education.
The strong turnout shows a broad, deep, and growing resolve among teachers to stand their ground and fight for “a school system that serves the people, not the corrupt,” Bernardo pointed out.
At UP Diliman, former Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Teddy Casino digressed from education issues and said that the country needs a transition council capable of addressing corruption.
He also outlined several national policy reforms that such a council should prioritize.
These include the passage of an anti-political dynasty law, economic measures such as lowering prices and removing value-added tax on essential utilities, and changes to the party-list system, which he claimed has been influenced by contractors instead of genuine sectoral representatives.
“And before a transition comes, if this is a transition government, a transition body, will it be able to respond from the bottom to the top? From these district engineers and bankers up to the President and the Vice President,” Casino said.
He emphasized that only a transitional body—rather than the existing political leadership—could effectively enact these reforms and prepare for what he described as “clean and honest elections” within one to two years.
According to ACT Philippines, several schools in Metro Manila participated in Friday’s protest, including UP Diliman, San Francisco Elementary School, and Apolonio Samson Elementary School in Quezon City, Manuel Roxas High School in Manila City, among others.
Meanwhile, senators framed the nationwide sit-down strike as a forceful reflection of growing anger over corruption.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian expressed support for the educators and students who took part in the strike.
“I stand in solidarity with the teachers and students participating in today’s sit-down strike to call for accountability in the government’s widespread corruption,” he said.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, I affirm my commitment to a more transparent budget process,” the senator added.
However, Gatchalian pointed to the upcoming budget cycle, which marks a significant shift because education is set to receive a record 1.38 trillion pesos in 2026.
He explained that the allocation would represent the first time the sector reaches more than 4.5% of the gross domestic product.
For his part, Senator Bam Aquino called the rising education budget a fulfillment of a key promise to prioritize funding for students and schools.
“The fight does not end here. Now that our educational agencies are properly funded, we aim to begin genuine reforms over the next five to ten years. As the bicameral conference approaches, it is even more important for us to monitor where every peso goes,” he said.
Aquino, who chairs the chamber’s education panel, noted that the proceedings are being live-streamed for the first time, which he said is intended to give the public better access.
Manila Standard sought comments from the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education regarding the strike, but a reply was unavailable as of press time.
