FEATURE31 Years of Service, One Long Wait: Benguet teacher finally promoted after 20 YEARS

After two decades of waiting, Marcelina Gosgos, a public school teacher at Balili Elementary School in La Trinidad, Benguet, has finally received her first promotion in her 31-year teaching career during the Mass Oath-Taking Ceremony cum Growth Mindset Priming for Newly Reclassified and Promoted Teachers and School Leaders held at the Benguet Sports Complex in Wangal, La Trinidad, on January 5, 2026.

The long-awaited advancement was made possible through the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Expanded Career Progression (ECP) Program.

The program, institutionalized through Republic Act No. 12288, has been a game-changer for educators who previously waited decades for promotion under a system that required vacant positions or the retirement of other personnel.

In the Cordillera region, more than 8,000 teachers were promoted. Of this number, 1,935 reclassified and promoted teaching and non-teaching personnel are from Benguet, including Gosgos, who was promoted from Teacher III to Teacher IV.

According to the Philippine Information Agency, Gosgos was inspired at a young age by a teacher who adopted her. This experience later led her to dedicate her life to education, focusing not only on academics but also on discipline and character formation among her students.

“I am happy because many of the children I taught have already graduated. I did not only help them academically but also guided them in discipline. For me, I am grateful that I was able to impart even a little knowledge to them. They have now become professionals in different fields,” she said.

Meanwhile, in her message during the oath-taking ceremony, Gosgos expressed gratitude for the ECP Program, noting that without it, she would have retired as a Teacher III.

“The patience I had in teaching and guiding the children has borne fruit. Without this reclassification, I might have retired as a Teacher III, Step 8. By God’s grace, I was fortunate to be reclassified to Step 6,” she shared.

While the mass promotion brings higher salaries, it also entails increased responsibilities. For Gosgos and other promoted educators, the advancement serves as renewed motivation to strengthen classroom instruction and further improve learning outcomes.