The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines on Monday, Aug. 3, criticized the Department of Education’s (DepEd) decision to distribute voice amplifiers while teachers wait for their promised laptops.

ACT said the voice amplifiers are merely a stopgap measure that does not address the bigger problems faced by teachers, including heavy workloads, overcrowded classrooms, and shortages of teachers and other education personnel.

“Noong nakaraang SONA [State of the Nation Address], laptop ang ipinangako pero lapel ang dumating na ayon mismo sa mga kapwa guro ay mahinang klase at agad na nasira. Marahil ito nga ang Bigong Pilipinas. Bigo na sa pangakong sapat na suporta sa mga guro, bigo pa sa disente at nakabubuhay na sweldo (During the last SONA, laptops were promised but lapel arrived, which according to fellow teachers was of poor quality and quickly broke down. Perhaps this is indeed the Failed Philippines. It has failed to provide sufficient support for teachers and failed to provide decent and livable wages),” ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo said in a statement.

The group also cited reports from teachers that some of the distributed voice amplifiers have weak audio output, while others reportedly malfunctioned or stopped working after only one use.

DepEd, in a statement over the weekend, said the voice amplifiers were procured ahead of the laptops to provide immediate support to nearly 880,000 teachers nationwide.

“Lapel now. Laptops next,” the department said.

It adde that the voice amplifiers were intended to provide immediate classroom support while the procurement of nearly 250,000 laptops is completed.

DepEd said the laptop procurement is nearing completion and is focused on ensuring that the units meet the required standards for performance, durability, battery life, and warranty while securing the best value for the government.

The Education Department also said competitive bidding reduced the price of each voice amplifier from the approved ceiling of ₱480.76 to around ₱300 to ₱370, depending on the location, with a one-year warranty included.

ACT, however, said DepEd’s effort to lower the unit price through competitive bidding may have come at the expense of quality.

“Instead of easing teachers' burden through smaller class sizes, more classrooms, and additional teaching personnel, the government has resorted to temporary measures while many schools, particularly in cities and urban centers, continue to hold classes of 40 to more than 50 learners,” Bernardo said.

The group also pointed out the gap between the number of teachers who need laptops and the number of units DepEd plans to procure.

ACT noted that DepEd’s procurement of around 250,000 laptops for nearly 900,000 public school teachers nationwide falls short of the administration’s earlier promise to provide every teacher with a laptop.

“Mabilis ang ahensya sa pagdadagdag at pagpapabigat ng trabaho ng mga guro ngunit naiiwan sa paghahanda at napakakupad sa pagbibigay ng suporta sa mga guro. Paano naman namin mararamdaman ang ipinagmamalaking pagkalinga ng administrasyon sa mga guro kung walang nagbabago sa aming kalagayan sa pagtuturo? (The agency is quick to add to and worsen teachers’ workload but is slow to prepare and provide support for teachers. How are we supposed to feel the administration’s much-touted care for teachers when nothing changes in our teaching conditions?),” Bernardo said.

ACT urged the Marcos administration to speed up and expand the laptop procurement program while pursuing measures to address the shortage of teachers, education support personnel, and classrooms.

With congressional deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget set to begin this month, the group renewed its call for an education budget equivalent to at least 6 percent of gross domestic product, the hiring of more teachers and education support personnel, and the construction of additional classrooms to reduce class sizes.

It also called for a ₱50,000 entry-level salary for teachers, an increase in the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) to ₱5,000, and the hiring of dedicated tutors for the ARAL Program so teachers would not have to perform the additional work as part of their regular duties.