DepEd champions TVET, stronger alignment of education, training, and industry at 16th ASEAN meet

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MANILA, 20 February 2026 — The Department of Education (DepEd) underscored the importance of stronger alignment among education institutions, training providers, industry partners, and government agencies as it represented the Philippines at the 16th ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework Committee (AQRFC) Meeting.


DepEd emphasized that building a future-ready workforce requires a common framework that connects basic education, technical-vocational training, higher education, and employment, ensuring learners can transition more smoothly from school to work.


Education Secretary Sonny Angara stressed that strengthening alignment across sectors remains central to preparing Filipino learners for evolving workforce demands.

 


"Our biggest asset is our people. Under President Marcos Jr.'s leadership, we are envisioning a more creative and innovative Filipino learner, which will be a significant boost to the industry," Angara said.


This shared direction is reflected in ongoing updates to the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF), which helps define clearer pathways for learners and ensures that skills gained in school and training are recognized and valued across sectors.


The updated PQF now features eight levels aligned with the ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework, with clear vertical, horizontal, and diagonal pathways between technical-vocational and higher education. Senior High School is mapped to Level 3, while micro-credentials have been formally integrated to support lifelong learning and give learners more flexible opportunities to build skills over time.


DepEd also underscored the need for stronger coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to address persistent gaps between education and employment outcomes. The Department reiterated its support for a unified labor market information system and the expansion of enterprise-based training and industry-led upskilling programs.


These efforts aim to ensure that learners are better supported throughout their education and training, and are more prepared as they transition into technical-vocational programs and, ultimately, into the workforce.


The ASEAN meeting also followed the formal turnover of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Final Report and the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) 2026–2035 to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., reinforcing the government’s whole-of-system approach to education and workforce development.


The revised PQF and ongoing legislative reforms, including the proposed Lifelong Learning Development Framework Act of 2025, expanded recognition of prior learning, and strengthened distance education policies, are expected to further support alignment across education, training, and employment sectors.


Angara emphasized that while the roadmap is now clearer, sustained coordination and shared accountability among institutions will be essential to ensure successful implementation.


"We already see alignment under President Marcos' leadership. The challenge now is execution—staying the course, aligning budgets and incentives, and holding ourselves jointly accountable for learning outcomes," he said.

PBBM salutes nearly 2,000 promoted teachers in Bulacan, Pampanga

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CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan, 19 February 2026 — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday lauded the almost 2,000 newly promoted public school teachers and school leaders in Central Luzon, as the government accelerated the rollout of a career progression program aimed at expanding promotion opportunities in the education sector.



“Today, as you take your oath, you reaffirm the belief that every Filipino child deserves a fair shot at a brighter tomorrow. Bawat lesson plan na ginawa ninyo, bawat karanasan sa silid-aralan na nililikha ninyo, bawat mabuting asal na itinuturo ninyo, doon unti-unting nabubuo ang kumpiyansa at pangarap ng ating mga estudyante,” President Marcos said.



Education Secretary Sonny Angara led the oath taking of 1,991 promoted and reclassified personnel from Bulacan and Pampanga at the City of San Jose del Monte Sports Complex. The group included teachers promoted to higher ranks from Teacher II to Teacher VII, Master Teachers I to III, and school principals from Principal I to Principal IV.



The ceremony forms part of the nationwide implementation of Republic Act No. 12288, or the Career Progression for Public School Teachers and School Leaders Act, signed by President Marcos in 2025. The law establishes a structured, competency-based system that allows educators to advance through either classroom teaching or school leadership tracks, with equivalent salaries and benefits.

“Sa pagpapabilis at pagpapalawak ng promosyon, mas napapalakas natin ang hanay ng mga guro na siyang susi sa mas dekalidad na edukasyon para sa bawat batang Pilipino,” Secretary Angara said. “Malinaw na pagsasabuhay ito ng prayoridad ng Pangulo na palakasin ang ating sistema ng edukasyon sa pamamagitan ng mas matibay na suporta sa ating mga guro.”



The Bulacan and Pampanga cluster accounted for one of the largest groups of newly promoted personnel in recent months. Bulacan recorded 408 promotees, followed by Pampanga with 368, Mabalacat City with 301, Angeles City with 238, and the City of San Fernando with 233. Other school divisions included Meycauayan City with 128, San Jose del Monte City with 145, Malolos City with 90, and Baliwag with 80.



More than 16,000 teachers nationwide had already been promoted under the expanded career progression system, with 40,000 more applications under review.



Implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd), the new system expands career ranks, including Teacher IV to VII and Master Teacher V, to address long-standing promotion bottlenecks and recognize teachers’ professional growth and years of service.



Angara noted the reform is designed to boost morale, retain experienced educators in classrooms, and strengthen instructional quality in public schools.



The oath-taking in Central Luzon follows similar ceremonies in other regions. In January, 789 teachers in the Ilocos Region were sworn into higher positions, while 2,915 personnel in the National Capital Region were promoted or reclassified under the same program and through regular promotion channels.

At the same time, DepEd continues to implement the YAKAP program, a comprehensive initiative focused on the welfare of teachers, personnel, and learners, which includes strengthened access to healthcare services in partnership with PhilHealth.



President Marcos and Sec. Angara visited YAKAP implementation in Minuya Elementary School in Bulacan, where they engaged with teachers and personnel and underscored the government’s commitment to supporting educators beyond career advancement.

Rene Pineda, Staunch Environmental Advocate, Completed His Journey at 69

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20 February 2026, Quezon City. Renato “Rene” D. Pineda, Jr., a fearless environmental warrior, passed away on February 16, 2026. He would have turned 70 on August 13.

Pineda is revered for his companionship, leadership, and commitment to Mother Earth and the Filipino people. He is particularly remembered for his principled stance on many issues that matter to the health and well-being of the people and the ecosystems, challenging duty-bearers, government and industry leaders in particular, to prioritize environmental sustainability and social justice.

In his decades of advocacy, Pineda served in various capacities in many environmental formations such as the Concerned Citizens Against Pollution (COCAP), Consumer Rights for Safe Food (CRSF), EcoWaste Coalition, Green Convergence for Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy, National Task Force Against Aerial Spraying (NTFAAS), Partnership for Clean Air (PCA), and more.

As president of the PCA, Pineda fought for the basic right to clean air. “Aside from stopping waste burning in all its forms, action is needed to reduce air pollution from coal power plants and industrial facilities, as well as from vehicles, planes, and ships. Our children and their children will be better off if we invest more in zero waste resource management, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources rather than in fossil fuel combustion and waste-to-energy incineration,” he stated.

Pineda supported the EcoWaste Coalition’s long-running campaign against firecrackers and fireworks called “Iwas Paputoxic.” Addressing a community event in Caloocan City, he pointed out: “The unseen health hazard of air pollution brought about by lighting firecrackers and fireworks far outweighs the momentary spectacle of revelry. Toxic fumes emitted by these explosives often contain complex chemical compounds that may lead to respiratory tract infections and even death in vulnerable sectors like the elderly, children, and pregnant women.”



As then vice-president of the EcoWaste Coalition, Pineda minced no words in rejecting landfill disposal for the controversial Canadian garbage shipment. “We stand in solidarity with the Tarlac government and people in their efforts to stop a precedent-setting disposal of illegal trash from Canada and ensure the protection of public health and the environment. Canada cannot simply bury the evidence of this case of gross environmental injustice in our soil and get away with it,” he said. To prevent pollution, Pineda called on the national government to undertake two urgent steps: “First, we should ratify the Basel Ban Amendment (to protect the country from becoming a foreign waste dumpsite) and second, we should stop tinkering with legalizing the burning of waste through waste-to-energy (WtE) proposals."

As early as 2010, Pineda had objected to WtE incineration. "It will instantly cut the cycle of resources that require lots of energy to produce. The alleged energy recovery by a WtE is nowhere near one-tenth of one percent of a resource’s energy requirement to be mined, transformed and manufactured, marketed and used as a consumer item, and disposed of as waste. Therefore, a WtE, no matter how it is green-washed today by its proponents, will hasten the depletion of the Earth’s non-renewable resources. It will quickly de-energize our planet and fuel nations in the race against an irreversible global warming.”

As head of the NTFAAS, he reminded banana plantation owners engaged in the aerial application of pesticides that “to be in business is not a matter of right but a privilege.” He said: “In the discourse about aerial spraying of pesticides, wherein a clear-cut policy is absent ever since, and severe public health and environment hazards are clearly established and verifiable, that privilege is mandatorily prevailed upon by the most supreme right – the right to life of affected citizens.”



Disturbed by moves to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, Pineda urged proponents to rethink their “solution” to the energy crisis: “We urge our policy makers not to wake up the sleeping ‘monster of Morong’ from its 30-year slumber. It’s better to keep the plant idle rather than to create a highly toxic problem that our nation cannot handle.”

As president of the CRSF, he pushed for food safety vigilance to ensure quality and safe food for all. “We call upon the government to uphold the safety and welfare of the consuming public by the full implementation of laws (particularly RA 10611 or the Food Safety Act) that govern the safety of food.” More recently, Pineda pressed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to speed up the probe on the use of banned food coloring Rhodamine B in fermented shrimp paste (bagoong alaman), “so corrective measures can be immediately carried out.”

Pineda also backed legal challenges and remedies to uphold the right to health and the right to a healthy environment. In 2015, he joined environmental groups and advocates in intervening in a Canadian garbage dumping case at the Manila Regional Trial Court. In 2018, he led the filing of a petition for writ of mandamus at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, together with the late Laban Konsyumer president Vic Dimagiba, to press for the release of the long-delayed Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 10620.

Pineda is lying in repose at the Transfiguration of Christ Parish, Barangay San Roque, Antipolo City. Interment is set for February 24, 2026.