"Broken-hearted" teachers announced on Monday, Feb. 12, their plans to stage a protest against the continued neglect of the government concerning their benefits and demands for a pay hike.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers - National Capital Region (ACT-NCR), in a press conference, revealed its protest actions on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, to express profound disappointment over the Marcos Jr. administration’s "persistent failure" and the "lack of leverage" from the Department of Education (DepEd) in granting teachers’ longstanding calls for substantial salary increases and improved, on-time benefits.

“Kaya sa tanong na ‘Where do broken hearts go?’, sa araw ng mga puso, magkakasa ng iba’t ibang aktibidad ang mga guro ng NCR sa pangunguna ng ACT NCR Union sa kani-kanilang mga paaralan upang ipahayag gaano kasawi ang mga guro sa mga bigong pangako at patuloy na pagpapabaya ng gobyerno sa mga guro, at itambol ang aming buong-pusong panawagan para sa nakabubuhay at disenteng sahod (In response to the question 'Where do broken hearts go?', on Valentine's Day, teachers from the NCR will organize various activities led by the ACT NCR Union in their respective schools to express how deeply saddened teachers are by unfulfilled promises and continued neglect by the government towards teachers, and to echo our heartfelt plea for livable and decent wages),” said ACT NCR Union President Ruby Bernardo.

The group also announced their school-based activities in NCR on Valentine’s Day as its "collective expression of dissatisfaction" and a call for immediate action from the government to address their legitimate economic concerns.

“Sa araw ng mga puso, hindi lamang naming ipapahayag ang pagmamahal namin sa pagtuturo kundi igigiit din ang karapat-dapat na pagkalinga at pagmamahal na dapat ipakita ng gobyerno sa aming mga guro (On Valentine's Day, we will not only express our love for teaching but also insist on the rightful care and affection that the government should show to our teachers),” Bernardo said.

Bernardo lamented that as the new year started, the hearts of us teachers were broken because the government continued to disappoint them in terms of salary increases and benefits.

In 2023, Bernardo pointed out that the government promised to conduct a study for the long-term outlook on the salaries of public teachers and employees, but it never progressed.

This year, she noted that promises have been made again for a salary increase study with the assistance of the World Bank even though the teachers' clear demand and request for a P50,000 entry-level salary that aligns with the needs of our families have been clearly stated.

Bernardo also lamented that every year, teachers also suffer due to delayed benefits such as the Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) and a decreasing number of vacation days.

“Mabigat din sa loob namin ang lumalalang krisis sa pagkatuto dahil sa patuloy na paglalaan ng hindi sapat na pondo sa edukasyon (We also carry the heavy burden of the worsening learning crisis due to the continuous insufficient allocation of funds for education),” she added.

Bernardo noted that teachers and children are directly affected by the shortages in classrooms, facilities, teachers, teaching and learning materials, and even education support personnel.