Marcos admin bolsters education resilience with more disaster-ready classrooms in Davao

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TAGUM CITY, 17 March 2026 —The Department of Education (DepEd) spearheaded the delivery of new Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS) at the Davao del Norte Regional Sports Academy, expanding on the successful installations in Masbate and Bogo City.



The project aligns with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure that the delivery of quality education remains uninterrupted.



This initiative directly addresses the recurring problem of damage to school infrastructure following natural disasters, such as typhoons and earthquakes, which halt student learning.



To solve this, DepEd is deploying modular, durable, and rapidly deployable units that serve as immediate learning environments while permanent classroom repairs are underway.

 



"We are implementing these Learning Continuity Spaces to ensure that learning continues under any circumstance, as we fulfill the vision of President Bongbong Marcos for a resilient Bagong Pilipinas,” Secretary Sonny Angara said.



“Through this initiative, the President’s support ensures that education remains a top priority even in the face of adversity."



At the Davao del Norte Regional Sports Academy in Tagum City, DepEd unveiled two structural models: an elevated model valued at PhP1.75 million for flood-prone areas and a slab-on-ground model worth PhP1.5 million for stable sites.



Each climate-resilient unit can accommodate up to 45 learners and is specifically engineered with enhanced features like storm guards to better withstand strong winds.



The project was fully funded by DepEd, while the provincial government of Davao del Norte supported the rollout by providing buildable space through a usufruct agreement.



President Marcos together with Secretary Angara earlier inspected the new modular LCS units in Bogo City and Masbate which were deployed to solve critical classroom shortages following recent natural disasters.



As part of a broader nationwide strategy, DepEd is targeting to install 1,380 LCS units across the country under the 2026 Disaster Preparedness and Response Fund to bypass traditional construction delays and provide immediate relief to high-risk areas.



While these modular spaces provide an agile solution for disaster-affected schools, DepEd remains committed to its long-term program of constructing permanent classrooms nationwide.

Cebu mass promotion ends decades of teacher career stagnation

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CEBU CITY, 16 March 2026 — For 57 aging educators in Cebu, the “Teacher 1” label that had defined their entire professional lives finally disappeared on Monday— just before they were set to end their service for good.



They were among the 3,325 dedicated teachers and school heads from across the province who took their oaths of office in a mass promotion ceremony at the IEC Convention Center Cebu, marking a decisive end to the systemic promotion delays that have long plagued the country’s education system.

The event, witnessed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, served as a direct response to the President’s directive to dismantle the promotion ceiling that forced many Filipino teachers to retire at the same entry-level rank they held as new hires.



To address this, the Department of Education (DepEd) has accelerated the implementation of the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) system under the President’s Executive Order No. 174 s. 2022. The new policy ensures that promotion is no longer vacancy-based but triggered by a teacher’s actual proficiency and merit.



Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who administered the oath to the newly-promoted educators, emphasized that the promotion of the 57 retirable personnel under ECP was not a mere gesture of gratitude but a long-overdue recognition of their unwavering dedication to the country’s youth.



"Following the clear mandate of President Bongbong Marcos to ensure no teacher is left behind, we are ensuring that excellence is rewarded and that no educator is left behind in their professional journey," Angara said. “This ceremony validates our commitment to providing every educator a clear, merit-based path upward, ensuring their professional growth reflects their true value to the nation.”



The mass promotion covers all 44 municipalities in Cebu, providing a significant morale boost to the province’s teaching force. For those nearing retirement, the rank adjustment means not only a long-overdue sense of dignity but also a substantial increase in their retirement benefits.



During the event, the teachers also had access to on-site training and health services through the Technological Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and YAKAP Caravan booths that were set up outside the venue.



The oath-taking ceremony forms part of DepEd’s broader effort to promote 100,000 teachers within the year— directly supporting the 5-Point Reform Agenda’s pillar on strengthening the education workforce system.



The event follows successful mass promotions across the country led by President Marcos with Secretary Angara, including for 789 teachers in the Ilocos Region; 2,915 in the National Capital Region; and 1,991 in Central Luzon.

‘Nurse Susie’ Road Show Launches This Women’s Month to Promote Toxics-Free Hospitals Campaign

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A new mascot is in town and her name is Nurse Susie.

Unveiled today during a Women’s Month Program at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) in Quezon City, Nurse Susie advocates waste minimization, responsible healthcare waste management, and sustainable practices in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Today's program also marks the kick off of the Nurse Susie Roadshow, a series of visits to hospitals across the country to bring her advocacy closer to healthcare workers and communities.

Nurse Susie represents the Toxics-Free Hospitals Campaign of the Philippine Healthcare and Mercury Wastes Management Project (HCWM Project) that is being implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) together with the Environmental Management Bureau of the DENR (DENR-EMB) and civil society organization BAN Toxics.

The Toxics-Free Hospitals Campaign is the HCWM Project's advocacy and awareness-raising initiative, promoting proper healthcare waste management as a way to reduce the release of toxic and hazardous chemicals — making hospitals safer for healthcare professionals, waste workers, patients, and communities.

"We chose Nurse Susie as the central character of our campaign because women represent more than 70% of the health profession worldwide. Women are at the frontlines and are always at risk of being exposed to the dangers of hazardous healthcare waste. Introducing her to the public this Women's Month also serves as recognition of the important role of women in protecting public health and the environment," said Jam Lorenzo, HCWM Project Manager and BAN Toxics Deputy Executive Director.

The program also featured a talk by clinical toxicologist Dr. TereAnthony Abella, who discussed the potential risks and impacts of hazardous chemicals from healthcare waste on women's health, tying the campaign's advocacy directly to the Women's Month theme.

Nurse Susie's reveal was accompanied by her very own theme song, whose lyrics capture her 4Cs slogan for achieving toxics-free hospitals: Change old habits, Cut plastics, Commit to reuse, and Champion sustainability. According to Lorenzo, the slogan encapsulates important issues in healthcare waste management that the project wants to address. These include insufficient awareness on proper waste segregation, high volume of waste generated driven by reliance on plastics, and limited access and awareness to environmentally sound treatment technologies that would ensure sustainability.

Last year, the HCWM Project conducted a waste audit across three of its partner hospitals, finding that plastics dominated waste composition — accounting for 77% at Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC), 78% at Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC), and 84% at QMMC. The bulk of this plastic waste stems from patient-care and daily-use disposables, with sanitary products, infectious materials such as cotton and gauze, and medical textiles including aprons, masks, and gloves making up over half of the total. Non-medical items such as foodware and bottles also contribute significantly, underscoring how hospital clients, visitors, and the general public play a role in the overall plastic waste burden within healthcare facilities.

According to Lorenzo, reducing plastic use is one of the ways to ease the burden of high waste volumes for hospitals, as well as reduce the potential release of hazardous chemicals. "Plastic waste is a potential source of toxic chemicals in the environment, and when burned, can emit unintentional persistent organic pollutants (UPOPs) such as dioxins and furans."

The findings of the waste audit, which was conducted with the help of Healthcare Without Harm Southeast Asia (HCWH-SEA), recommend exploring alternative materials and reusable systems that maintain infection control standards while reducing waste volume, including the introduction of reusable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), washable medical textiles, and durable patient linens, which could significantly minimize hospitals' dependency on single-use plastics.

During the program, Nurse Susie distributed reusable water containers to attendees as a practical nudge toward moving away from single-use plastics. Information materials promoting the Toxics-Free Hospitals Campaign, including flyers, posters, and hand fans, were also handed out.

The Nurse Susie Roadshow continues on March 25 at EVMC, followed by a visit to CVMC in April.

About the project:

The Philippine Healthcare and Mercury Wastes Management Project aims to strengthen healthcare waste management nationwide, with a special focus on reducing emissions of hazardous substances such as dioxins and furans and ensuring the safe and proper disposal of mercury. The project is implemented by UNIDO and the DENR-EMB, with funding support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and BAN Toxics as the executing partner.