DepEd responds to PBBM's call for better teacher compensation through new overtime policy

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

MAKATI CITY, 9 September 2025 — In line with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.’s call for improved teacher compensation, the Department of Education (DepEd) has issued DepEd Order No. 26, s. 2025, which sets the Guidelines on the Payment of Overtime Services of Teachers. The policy ensures that public school teachers who go beyond their six-hour teaching load will now be compensated for their overtime work. 

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the move underscores DepEd’s commitment to value teachers’ sacrifices and align with the President’s push to provide additional support and benefits. 

“Mahalaga para sa Kagawaran na mabigyan ng sapat na kompensasyon ang ating mga guro—lalo na kapag sila ay naglalaan ng dagdag na oras sa ating mga paaralan. Tugon natin ito sa panawagan ni PBBM na tiyaking may dagdag na benepisyo at kompensasyon ang ating mga guro,” Angara said. 

The guidelines specify that overtime pay applies only to teaching-related assignments performed within schools, making sure that extra hours spent in service of learners are properly recognized and rewarded. 

Teachers will be compensated at 125% of their hourly rate for overtime rendered on regular workdays, and at 150% for services rendered on weekends, holidays, and special non-working days. 

Furthermore, DepEd clarified that: 

• During weekdays: At least two (2) hours of overtime will be granted monetary compensation. Less than two hours will be converted into Vacation Service Credits (VSC).

• During weekends, holidays, and special non-working days: Up to four (4) hours of overtime will be compensated monetarily, with any excess converted into VSC.

The policy applies to all full-time DepEd-employed teachers, including those in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) under permanent, substitute, and provisional appointments. Teachers are reminded that overtime must be pre-approved by the school head or authorized official and rendered only when strictly necessary. 

“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa ating mahal na Pangulo dahil laging nasa pinakamataas ng kanyang prayoridad ang edukasyon—lalo na ang kapakanan ng ating mga guro. Patuloy nating isusulong ang mga makabuluhang inisyatiba upang higit pang iangat ang dignidad at kapakanan ng ating mga guro,” Angara added. 

This latest issuance builds on the reforms introduced last year, when Secretary Angara signed DepEd Memorandum No. 53, s. 2024, which set out concrete implementation guidelines for DO 5, s. 2024. The Order streamlined the rationalization of teachers’ workload in public schools and the payment of teaching overload. These measures aim to foster a more supportive work environment by ensuring that teachers are fairly compensated for additional responsibilities. 

Unified, nationwide E911 system will give Filipinos greater peace of mind

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With the rollout of the Unified 911, the country now has a single reliable hotline for police, fire, medical, and disaster emergencies. This gives Filipinos faster and improved access to life-saving services. By dialing 911 from anywhere, calls can be traced in seconds and first responders dispatched within three to five minutes because the new system can pinpoint their exact location.

The Unified 911 is a joint initiative of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), PLDT Inc. (PLDT), through its corporate business arm PLDT Enterprise and ICT subsidiary ePLDT, NGCS Inc., and NGA 911 Philippines, the local arm of U.S.-based NGA 911 LLC. It introduces next generation emergency communications technology already proven in the United States and Europe.

The system comes with advanced features designed to strengthen public safety. It has GPS-based location tracking that allows faster and more precise dispatch of emergency teams. It uses internet protocol to transmit voice, text, and video between callers and responders, providing real-time data that enhances situational awareness and supports better decision-making. It integrates the Philippine National Police, BFP, and local government emergency response units into one centralized network, with more agencies and features to follow. It is also hosted on ePLDT’s Pilipinas Cloud and the Amazon Web Service platform to ensure reliability and resiliency.

For the joint project, NGA has brought to the Philippines an advanced emergency communications system that can provide faster and more accurate emergency responses to people in need. It is the same technology used in the United States and Europe that has proven to be a game-changer in emergency communications. The system leverages NGA 911’s next generation 911 technology to deliver the project’s critical functions and capabilities.

Don Ferguson, Co-Founder and CEO of NGA 911 LLC, said the system “will help the DILG save more lives and empower more communities now that all systems have been unified into one nationwide system. The technology is a true cloud-based NG 9-1-1 solution operating on the Amazon Web Service (AWS) Cloud Platform and uses a robust and resilient Internet Protocol (IP) backbone that has replaced the decades-old 911 infrastructure to turn emergency communication into Next Generation 911.

Launched on September 11 in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive under Bagong Pilipinas, DILG Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla mentioned that the system shall integrate around 30 fragmented local hotlines into one universal number: 911.

Robert Llaguno, NGA 911 Philippines Country Manager, said, “We have been entrusted to build the 911 mission-critical systems and communication facilities that will help save lives, protect property, and unify our first responder communications. This partnership is aiming for nothing short of unparalleled service, and this is my commitment to my family and the Filipino people.”

The 11th Anniversary of the HWPL World Peace Summit: Uniting for Peace

 

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650 national and international leaders from all sectors to gather to discuss the future of peace

More than 100 Filipinos will attend Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light’s (HWPL) 11th anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit from September 18-19, 2025, in Cheongju, South Korea. 

Under the theme "Uniting for Peace and Fulfilling Humanity's Duty Together," this year's event will bring together over 600 high-level attendees from around the world to celebrate 11 years of progress and chart a path forward for global peace.

The event will welcome over 650 distinguished attendees including presidents, prime ministers, speakers of national assemblies, chief justices, government ministers, and leaders from educational, religious, and media sectors. The summit will review HWPL's key peace initiatives and achievements over the past year and present them to the international community.

The upcoming summit builds on the foundation laid at the inaugural HWPL World Peace Summit in 2014, where global leaders signed two foundational agreements: Agreement to Propose the Enactment of International Law for the Cessation of Wars and World Peace, and the World Alliance of Religions Agreement emphasizing that "everyone should become a messenger of peace. These agreements became a significant milestone for the proclamation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) in 2016, Legislate Peace program, religious harmony, and the role of civil society. 

A major highlight of the past year has been the growing support for the DPCW, a legal instrument for sustainable peace. During the last year, resolutions endorsing the DPCW have been adopted by multiple legislative bodies, including in the cities of South Fulton and Fairburn, and Stonecrest and the counties of DeKalb and Fulton in Georgia, USA. Additionally, the DPCW has been endorsed in the provinces of Bayan-Olgii, Khovd, Bulgan, and Orkhon in Mongolia, the city of Yorosso in Mali, Calauan in the province of Laguna, Philippines, and the city of Bemasoandro, Madagascar. Most notably, the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO), a union of 23 countries, adopted a resolution, that fully supports the principles of the DPCW and recommends that member states officially endorse it.

Other significant developments include the expansion of interfaith dialogue through scripture study, which has increased public participation, and HWPL's peace education is in the process of being adopted into the public school curriculum of Timor-Leste, with about 70% of higher education institutions actively cooperating toward this. The ‘Together: Connecting Korea’, a peaceful unification campaign on the Korean Peninsula, has also expanded its cooperation with local governments.

Over the past year, HWPL's membership has grown significantly from 500,000 to 700,000. This growth reflects a shared commitment to the vision expressed by Chairman Man Hee Lee at the 9th anniversary of the DPCW this March: “We are not strangers to peace. We are the people involved, and we ourselves are peace. So let us lead this global community to a world of peace."

In addition to the main event in Cheongju, local anniversary events will be held in 78 countries until October, with a total of over 15,000 participants expected to attend. These regional events underscore the summit’s goal of strengthening local peace networks and engaging a wider global community in fulfilling a common mission for peace for humanity.