THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers challenged presidential aspirant and Senator Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Pacquiao to take on the “fight” of the education sector and include it in his platform.

The group urged Pacquiao to file the 400-page petition, signed by over 30,000 teachers, to upgrade teachers’ salaries and grant them P1,500 monthly internet allowance.

“The last six years under the Duterte administration has already taken a huge toll on the education sector, and we could not afford to, once again, be the collateral damage of a futile administration. If these candidates are genuine for change, hindi nila dapat balewalain ang karapatan ng ating mga guro,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

“Majority of our teachers are poor, if not poorer, due to the deathly combo of the criminal Duterte and neglectful DepEd, and if Senator Manny truly is for the poor as he claims to be, he would make sure to include the rights and welfare of our teachers who fought tooth and nail for the sake of education continuity in his presidential platform,” Basilio added.

If Pacquiao chooses to take on the challenge presented by the education sector, it will only be the beginning as he should continue to prove his commitment through open dialogues and collaboration with key stakeholders, the ACT official said.

“Makasisiguro sila na binabantayan ng buong sektor ng edukasyon ang bawat galaw at pangako nilang mga kandidato sa pagkapangulo, dahil pagkatapos ng eleksyon ay asahan nilang maniningil kami sa kanilang mga pangakong binitawan,” Basilio warned.