Teachers hit Marcos’ unfulfilled SONA promise, receive lapel mics instead of laptops

MANILA, Philippines – Teachers’ groups are calling out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the still unfulfilled promise of laptops for them, as they instead received lapel microphones in recent days. In separate statements on Monday, August 3, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said laptops remain their most needed gadget, not lapel mics or voice amplifiers. Marcos promised the delivery of laptops to every public school teacher during his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA). In his 2026 SONA last July 27, the President also said the government would continue to provide “helpful and innovative teaching aids, such as smart TVs, laptops, tablets, free mobile data, and even lapel microphones.” Days after, several schools posted on social media that they had received the lapel mics. In a statement on Sunday, August 2, the Department of Education (DepEd) clarified that procurement processes for the two items are separate. “Lapel now. Laptops next…. Nauna lang ang voice amplifiers habang isinasagawa ang procurement ng teacher laptops upang matiyak ang tamang performance, durability, battery life, warranty, at [pinakamainam] na halaga para sa mahigit 250,000 units. Malapit nang matapos ang procurement process,” the DepEd said. (Lapel now. Laptops next. We provided the voice amplifiers first as we continue to conduct the procurement of teacher laptops to ensure proper performance, durability, battery life, warranty, and the best price for over 250,000 units. The procurement process is almost complete.) The lapel mics for nearly 880,000 teachers nationwide were bought using the President’s Social Fund, according to the video message of Education Secretary Sonny Angara played during distribution ceremonies in schools. “Gamitin po natin ito. Alagaan din po natin ito dahil ito’y biyaya…. At para sa ating mga estudyante ito,” Angara said. (Let’s use this lapel microphone. Let’s also take care of it because it’s a blessing. It’s for the benefit of our students, too.) The DepEd said competitive bidding led to a lower unit price for the voice amplifiers, from the approved P480.76 ceiling to around P300 to P370, depending on location. The units have a one-year warranty. However, ACT reported that it received feedback from teachers that the lapel microphones were of “poor quality, with weak audio output,” and some units have supposedly malfunctioned or stopped working after being used just once. Rappler has sought comment from the DepEd. While the lapel mics may be of use due to congestion in schools, ACT said providing such items is only a stopgap measure. “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 urban centers, continue to hold classes of 40 to more than 50 learners,” ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo said. What happened to laptops? The two teachers’ groups also hit the government for the insufficient number of laptops slated for distribution. “Ang kagamitang dapat sana’y ipinagkakaloob ng pamahalaan ay nagiging karagdagang pasanin pa ng mga overworked at underpaid na guro,” TDC national chairperson Benjo Basas said. “Kung nakapaglalaan ang gobyerno ng mga baril at bala para sa mga pulis at militar upang magampanan ang kanilang tungkulin, bakit hindi rin ito makapaglaan ng laptop para sa mga guro?” (The equipment that should be provided by the government becomes an additional burden for overworked and underpaid teachers. If the government can provide guns and ammunition to police and the military so that they can do their duty, why can’t it give laptops to teachers?) Basas also said this puts into question the administration’s credibility, accountability, and sincerity in making promises. In Marcos’ 2025 SONA, he also vowed the procurement would be free from anomalies. In 2023, Rappler found that negligence and apparent corruption at the DepEd under the Duterte administration caused laptops intended for public school teachers to end up being sold in retail stores. Other DepEd actions Following the recent SONA, the DepEd said it is working with the budget department to secure P12 billion for the promotion of teachers and school heads under the Expanded Career Progression System for 2027. It said it is still filling nearly 33,000 new teaching positions and more than 32,000 non-teaching posts, specifically school counselor associates, administrative officers, project development officers, and school principals. The DepEd added that it is digitizing 10 school forms to “streamline documentation, reporting, and school data management.” Teachers have long raised the issue of excessive and repetitive administrative paperwork. – Rappler.com Must Read Groups after SONA 2026: What’s the plan for teachers’ salary?