05/10/2026
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐๐ง'๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ'๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ' ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก.
When Dr. Zosimo Lee introduced Philosophy for Children (P4C) in the Philippines, he recognized that the possibility of cultivating reasonableness depends, crucially, upon the presence of a competent facilitator [educator] in the Community of Inquiry. As an organization committed to teaching and learning with Filipino children toward becoming critical, creative, caring, and collaborative persons through philosophical inquiry and dialogue, we celebrate our educators this month not only by honoring what they have given to education; to appreciate them is to put forward what must be protected so that they may continue to serve.
๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ
In higher education, CHEDโs proposed reframing of the General Education curriculum would reduce mandatory GE units from 36 to 18 or 21, while removing or integrating standalone courses in philosophy, ethics, literature, arts, and Philippine history. Although implementation has been deferred to 2028, this proposed restructuring may place some GE teaching positions at risk. For educators in these fields, curricular restructuring can mean not only marginalizing their disciplines but also displacing their labor.
This is not without precedent. The K to 12 transition previously displaced thousands of higher-education personnel as enrollment shifted. Meanwhile, although public-school teachers are set to receive salary increases, teachersโ organizations continue to call for a โฑ50,000 entry-level salary. If we recognize the importance of educators in shaping the future of education, we must also recognize the need for a profession they can afford to remain in.
๐
๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐
Education cannot flourish through the labor of educators alone. It also requires classrooms, facilities, learning resources, research, and institutional support. The proposed 2027 budget for the University of the Philippines, for example, has been reported at โฑ2.9 billion below its 2026 GAA allocation. This has prompted the University to seek amendments that would restore funding closer to the previous level.
The problem extends to basic education. DepEd estimates a nationwide classroom backlog of 143,543 classrooms as of June 2026, while EDCOM II has placed the shortage at more than 166,000. These figures reflect the material conditions within which educators are expected to teach. We truly believe that supporting educators also requires sustained public investment in the institutions and resources necessary for their work and for learning to take place.
๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐
Education does not end at the four corners of the room. Educators also teach in local communities and in far-flung areas, particularly where formal classroom education remains limited. Notably, the Lumad schools in Mindanao have provided education to Indigenous children who struggle to access public schools. Yet, educators and teacher organizations have faced red-tagging, harassment, threats, and other forms of intimidation. The Commission on Human Rights has condemned such practices, while the Supreme Court has recognized red-tagging, vilification, labeling, and guilt by association as threats to a person's life, liberty, and security. As long as educators remain burdened by inadequate resources, precarious conditions, and threats to their security, appreciation cannot remain merely ceremonial.
Our concern is not only with these incidents happening, but with the climate of fear they create where it seems like teaching people how to question is treated with suspicion. For P4C, this matters because critical education requires educators who are themselves given the freedom, resources, and security to facilitate inquiry. The flourishing of critical minds among Filipino children cannot be separated from the flourishing of those who facilitate them to think. As long as educators remain burdened by inadequate resources, precarious conditions, and threats to their security, appreciation cannot remain merely ceremonial.
๐
๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
We therefore call for adequate and dignified compensation, including raising entry-level teacher salaries toward โฑ50,000, sufficient teaching positions; the protection of the humanities and arts by preserving meaningful space for philosophy, ethics, literature, history, and the arts within General Education; sustained public investment in education by protecting the budgets of state universities and colleges and addressing the countryโs continuing classroom backlog; and the protection and security of educators by ending red-tagging and intimidation, respecting teachersโ right to organize, and safeguarding those who extend their work into communities and underserved areas.
๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ โ We make this appeal not only for our educators, but for the children who will inherit the Republic.
Philosophy for and with Children (P4C) Organization
University of the Philippines Diliman
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