THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers is set to join the protest rally on President Duterte’s final State of the Nation Address.

Quezon City Public School Teachers, an ACT affiliate, released a video calling on the education sector to join the SONA protests and called for an end to the crises that beset the education system in the country.

The poignant video denounced Duterte’s “bigong pangako,” coupled with the President’s signature fist-bump turned downwards that signified a thumbs-down sign.

The teachers expressed dismay over empty promises and programs and policies that resulted in the suffering of the education sector under the Duterte administration, and urged other education workers to join the SONA ng Bayan protest on Monday.

“Ginamit niya kami nung tumatakbo siya sa pagka-pangulo hanggang manalo siya, ilang beses niya pa kaming pinaasa sa paulit-ulit na pangakong dodoblehin ang sweldo namin. Pero sa huli, barat na SSL 5 ang ibinigay niya. Saka niya kami ipinagkanulo kasama ng aming mga estudyante nang pwersahan kaming isabak sa palpak na distance learning habang walang sapat na suporta sa aming sektor. Taksil na nga, inutil pa. ‘Yan ang legacy ni President Duterte sa hanay namin,” QCPSTA President Kristhean Navales said.

Among the resounding charges made by the sector against President Duterte is his failure to fulfill his promise of doubling teachers’ salaries or at least effecting a substantial pay raise, which earned him the tag ‘#TaksilSaPangako’ among public school teachers.

Hundreds of teachers are expected to participate in the event, with comics-themed placards bearing their calls for accountability from the Duterte administration, which abandoned education amid the multiple crises.

The theme was inspired by the rise of protesting artists after Tarantadong Kalbo’s #Tumindig artwork took social media by storm.

“Matapos ang limang taong pasakit ng administrasyong Duterte sa mga guro at sa buong sektor ng edukasyon, muli kaming lalahok sa SONA ng Bayan upang maningil. Higit lalong malaki ang hamon sa ating lahat na tumindig sa harap ng bantang ma-extend pa sa puwesto si Duterte mismo o ang kanyang anak at mga alipores. Tama na, sobra na, wakasan na,” said ACT Secretary-General Raymond Basilio.

ACT asserted its constitutional rights to peaceful assemble and protest on President Duterte’s final SONA, especially in the light of worsening health and economic conditions in the country due to state criminal neglect.

The group said this is shown by the return of NCR plus to GCQ with heightened restrictions while medical responses to the pandemic remained dismal even with the rising cases of the more dangerous Delta variant of Covid19.

“Our schools may have been locked down for over a year now, but our constitutional rights and freedoms certainly are not. The past five years under the Duterte admin brought severe damage to our already crisis-ridden education – our teachers and support staff are more overworked and underpaid than ever; education became even more inaccessible and with poorer quality due to the under-supported distance learning program and yearly budget cuts,” added Basilio.

“The lack of aid for private sector employees and education institutions resulted in the displacement of thousands of teachers; academics, teachers, and universities are red-tagged; academic freedom is under attack; and the pandemic continues to rage on due to the botched handling of the regime. All of these and more are what compelled us to take to the streets and protest Duterte’s incompetent leadership.”