Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III hailed Filipino teachers as the “pillars of society” even as he reaffirmed the government’s push to expedite the construction of classrooms nationwide to support quality education.

Dy delivered the message as guest of honor and speaker during the 21st Founding Anniversary of the Schools Division Office of Cauayan City held on Friday, March 13, where educators and stakeholders gathered to celebrate more than two decades of service to the local education sector.

Addressing teachers, the Speaker expressed gratitude for their role in shaping the country’s youth and strengthening communities.

“Everytime na meron akong opportunity na makaharap ang ating mga guro, gusto ko laging magpasalamat sa inyo dahil kayo ang haligi ng ating lipunan na dahil po sa inyo nagiging maayos, matatag ang ating mga kabataan,” Dy said.

(Every time I have the opportunity to meet our teachers, I always want to thank you because you are the pillars of our society, because of you, our youth become orderly and strong.)

The congressman from Isabela's 6th district stressed that building the nation’s future was a shared responsibility.

“Hindi lamang ito laban ng ating mga guro kundi laban nating lahat. Merong tungkulin ang ating mga guro at meron ding tungkulin ang ating mga magulang, ang ating mga mamamayan,” Dy said.

(This is not only the struggle of our teachers but the struggle of all of us. Our teachers have responsibilities, and so do our parents and our citizens.)

“Kaya tayo po ay magtulungan para matiyak natin at masiguro natin na maganda ang kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataan (That is why we must work together to ensure and secure a bright future for our youth)," he further said.

Dy also highlighted ongoing national efforts to address the shortage of classrooms, saying stronger coordination between the national government and local government units (LGUs) is key to improving school facilities.

He noted that LGUs have been empowered to work alongside the Department of Education (DepEd) under the leadership of Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara in implementing the program of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to build and complete much-needed classrooms across the country, not only in Isabela but throughout the Philippines.

“Napakagandang programa po nito para masunod ang bilang ng classrooms sa bilang ng ating mga kabataan (This is a wonderful program to match the number of classrooms with the number of our students)," noted Dy.

The House leader said adequate learning facilities will allow teachers to focus on nurturing the abilities of Filipino students.

Dy’s remarks came as the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture recently approved a bill establishing the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP), a measure aimed at fast-tracking the construction, repair and upgrading of public school classrooms across the country.

The proposal seeks to mobilize the resources of the national government, LGUs and the private sector to address the country’s persistent classroom shortage.

Under the bill, DepEd will serve as the lead implementing agency and may partner with qualified LGUs and accredited private entities to build, repair or rehabilitate classrooms in their respective areas.

The measure also mandates the creation of a national school congestion mapping system to identify schools facing severe classroom shortages and prioritize the construction of new facilities.

Lawmakers said the initiative reflects a whole-of-nation approach to solving the classroom backlog and ensuring that teachers—whom Dy described as the pillars of society—have the facilities they need to help Filipino learners succeed.