VP Duterte visits quake-hit Abra on Nat’l Teachers’ Day

In celebration of National Teachers’ Day, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Wednesday visited Abra, which was hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake in July.

Duterte said that she chose to commemorate the event in Bangued, Abra to give teachers “stress debriefing and relaxation,” after several schools in the province were damaged.

“Alam po namin ang pinagdadaanan ninyo and sana iyong celebration natin ngayon ay nakadala ng stress debriefing para sa inyo sa dami ng pinagdadaanan ninyo,” she said.

(We know what you are going through and I hope that our celebration today has brought you stress debriefing for all the things you are going through.)

She also expressed her appreciation for all the teachers both in public and private institutions.

“Gusto naming malaman ninyong lahat na mahal namin ang mga guro—hindi lang ang mga guro ng Department of Education, kung hindi lahat ng guro. Kahit iyong mga nasa private sector, kahit iyong mga retired na, at kahit ‘yong mga susunod pa na mga guro na ngayon ay nasa higher education at ang kanilang intensyon ay pumasok sa ating Philippine education system para magturo ng ating mga learners,” Duterte said.

(We want you all to know that we love the teachers—not just those in the Department of Education teachers, but all the teachers. Even those in the private sector, even those who are retired, and even those who are currently in higher education who are in our Philippine education system to teach our learners.)

In the morning, Duterte went to the Bangued North Elementary School, where she distributed “PagbaBAGo” kits containing school and dental supplies to students, and food packs to their parents or guardians.

In a Facebook post, she said that representatives from the Bangued North Elementary School raised to her their issues on lack of classrooms and teaching equipment.

Duterte, along with First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos and other local officials, also attended a culminating program for the National Teacher’s Day celebration at the Abra Sports Complex.

Araneta-Marcos, who was also a teacher herself, thanked the educators for their hard work.

“To all the teachers out there, please know that we all recognize your hard work and all the sacrifices you have made to make the art of learning possible. You have ensured the delivery of quality education to many Filipinos. You did this despite the many challenges that came your way, especially during the recent pandemic. For these, we are all grateful to you,” she said. — BM, GMA News