HOUSE Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday lauded the Department of Education’s newly issued guidelines on overtime pay for public school teachers, calling it a timely and just recognition of their dedication to shaping the nation’s youth.

Romualdez commended DepEd for addressing the long-standing call of educators to be fairly compensated for work rendered beyond their regular schedules. He said the issuance of the policy is especially meaningful as the country celebrates National Teachers’ Month this September 2025.

“Hindi matatawaran ang papel na ginagampanan ng ating mga guro bilang pangalawang magulang ng ating mga anak at taga-hubog ng kanilang kamalayan. Kadalasan ay higit pa ang oras na ginugugol nila sa trabaho, magampanan lang ang tungkulin na ilabas ang talino at talento ng ating mga mag-aaral,” Romualdez said.

The Leyte 1st District lawmaker stressed that the move reflects President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment under the Bagong Pilipinas vision to uphold the welfare and dignity of teachers.

“The Marcos administration is showing that it listens to the needs of our teachers and acts decisively to address them. Ang bagong patakaran na ito ay patunay na pinapahalagahan ng gobyerno ang ating mga guro—ang mga huwarang lingkod-bayan na patuloy na naglilingkod nang buong puso,” he said.