THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers on Monday staged a “black valentine protest”at the Department of Education’s central office in Pasig City to denounce the delayed release of their overtime payment.

Clad in black shirts, the teachers sang a rendition of “Pusong Bato” as they ripped an image of a black heart to signify putting an end to the “heartlessness” of the Duterte government.

“We poured our hearts to our profession, out of love not only for teaching but more importantly for the Filipino youth. But the Duterte government took advantage of us and exploited our commitment to education by overworking us and denying us our rightful compensation,” ACT NCR Union President Vladimer Quetua said.

“They squeezed the life out of our teachers — ganyan kawalang-pagpapahalaga ang gobyernong Duterte sa frontliners ng edukasyon, at kinunsinti ito ng sarili naming ahensiya. Sa katunayan, nanguna ang DepEd sa pagtindig para sa pagkakait ng overtime compensation sa mga guro,” he added.

Last year, representatives of ACT and Teachers Party-list held dialogues with officials of the DEPED, Civil Service Commission and the Department of Budget to tackle the issue. However, the teachers’ demand for overtime payment has yet to be settled.

“Dapat managot ang gobyernong Duterte sa mga guro at sa taumbayan sa pagkakait ng wastong kompensasyon, lalo na sa gitna ng krisis. Katumbas ng kapabayaang ito sa mga guro ang kapabayaan sa edukasyon — isang batayang serbisyo na lagi’t laging esensyal, may pandemya o wala. This is the legacy that President Duterte, along with Secretary Briones, will leave when they step down from their offices—their heartlessness towards the people they swore to serve,” ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio said.

“Ngayong araw ng mga puso, gusto naming ipakita sa DepEd, sa gobyernong Duterte, at sa buong mamamayan na sa kabila ng kapabayaan sa mga guro, nananatili ang pananalaytay ng paglaban sa aming mga dugo. Paglaban para sa wasto at makatarungan,” Quetua said.