1 day ago
3
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
June 12, 2025 | 2:25pm
MANILA, Philippines — A bill that aims to overhaul the Philippines' restrictive teacher promotion system has cleared its final legislative hurdle and is now awaiting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s signature.
The reconciled version of Senate Bill 3000 and House Bill 10270 was ratified by the bicameral conference committee on Wednesday, June 11 — passing the measure at the last legislative working day of the 19th Congress.
If signed into law, the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders Act will replace the current promotion system that relies heavily on waiting for senior teachers to retire or leave their positions before an educator can be promoted.
The legislation addresses what education officials and the education sector call a "natural vacancy" problem that has created a promotion bottleneck for thousands of public school teachers.
The bills in both chambers of Congress were championed by commissioners of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), a three-year congressional body conducting a nationwide assessment of the Philippine education sector. The body is set to conclude its work this year.
The Senate measure was principally sponsored by Senate basic education panel chairperson Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, while the House version was principally sponsored and authored by House basic education panel chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo (Pasig City). Both are EDCOM 2 commissioners.
15-year wait for career advancement
Data from EDCOM 2 shows teachers currently spend an average of 15 years advancing from Teacher I (Salary Grade 11) to Teacher III (Salary Grade 13) — a progression covering just two salary grade increases. Salary Grade 11 ranges from P30,024 to P32,099, based on the latest salary schedule. Salary Grade 13, meanwhile, ranges from P34,421 to P36,691.
RELATED: Teacher career progression bill clears House panel hurdle
The bottleneck stems from strict quotas that severely limit higher-level positions. Elementary schools can allocate only 10% of teaching slots to Master Teacher roles, broken down to 6.6% for Master Teacher I and 3.4% for Master Teacher II positions.
Secondary schools also face restrictions, with just one Master Teacher position allowed per subject area for every five to seven authorized teaching positions.
As a result, a whopping 92% of public school teachers remain in Teacher I to III positions, based on data from the Department of Education in school year 2022 to 2023. Only an estimated 8% reach Master Teacher levels.
Two-track career system
The new law would establish two distinct career pathways for educators. The Teaching Career Line would allow classroom-focused teachers to advance through new positions including Teacher IV through VII and up to Master Teacher VI. The School Administration Career Line would create advancement opportunities leading to School Principal V positions.
Both tracks would offer equivalent salary grades and benefits under the proposed law.
The bill also aims to eliminate the "natural vacancy" requirement by implementing standards-based assessments for promotions.
"Instead, the bill seeks to implement a standards-based assessment system for promotion, which will now be based on merit, fitness, and competence," EDCOM 2 said in a statement welcoming the bicam approval of the measure.
"This assessment will serve as a prerequisite for promotion, and will assess qualifications and professional standards rather than simply years in service," it added.
The measure includes safeguards ensuring no teacher faces demotion regarding salary, benefits or other privileges during the transition to the new system.
Teachers who do not pass standards-based assessments would receive specialized remedial programs through the National Educators Academy of the Philippines to support their professional growth.
"Crucially, the Act also stipulates that promotion in the Teaching Career Line 'shall in no case be based on arbitrary criteria such as the proportion of learners who achieve curricular expectations,' emphasizing merit, fitness, and competence based on professional standards," EDCOM 2 said.
Builds on earlier EO
The bill follows Executive Order 174, which was issued in 2022 to create an expanded career progression system for public school teachers ahead of an actual law. Education Secretary Sonny Angara signed the implementing rules for the executive order in July 2024.
RELATED: After 2-year delay, DepEd creates new teaching positions to expedite promotions
The legislation expands the executive order in several ways. While EO 174 covers teachers, the bill includes school leaders. The measure also creates additional teaching positions not covered by the executive order, including Master Teacher VI and School Principal V.
The bill includes annual budget allocations for the career progression system. The executive order does not contain funding provisions.
