For 27 years, Teacher Mariane Luchavez stayed at Teacher I—not because she lacked the talent or the will to advance, but because life demanded she choose between her own professional growth and the future of her three children.
Luchavez, a public school teacher in Valenzuela City who has been teaching for 27 years in the public school system and five more in private, shared her story in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on August 1, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series featuring the Department of Education.
She was widowed at 48, leaving her the sole provider for three children, and made the quiet, painful decision to give up pursuing promotion so she could focus every resource and hour on her children’s education.
“Nanatili po ako sa Teacher I. Gusto ko rin po sanang ma-promote, kasi hindi ko po magawang makipagkumpetensya sa alin po: ang uunahin ko, pag-aaral ng anak ko or pag-aaral ko? So nag-give up po ako, binigyan ko po ‘yung time ko sa anak ko,” Luchavez said.
Under the Marcos administration’s expanded career progression program, Luchavez finally received her first promotion — jumping three rungs from Teacher I to Teacher IV after nearly three decades of service.
Her monthly salary increased from ₱31,000 to ₱38,000, a difference of ₱7,000 that Luchavez said will also grow her retirement package—a relief she described as significant now that she is approaching 60.
“So pag nag-senior citizen na, hindi na natin masyadong pinoproblema ‘yung maintenance. Kahit papaano may pantabi na tayo,” Luchavez said.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Teacher Luchavez is one of 82,000 teachers promoted under the Marcos administration—the largest mass promotion in DepEd history—and that the oath-taking ceremonies where these teachers receive their recognition have been deeply emotional.
“Imagine 10, 20, 30 years. Kaya sa bawat oath-taking, kinikilala namin ‘yung mga teachers, pinapaupo namin sa harapan based on their length of tenure. At makikita mo, iba talagang mukhang lola na, lolo na sila, and it’s their first promotion in life,” Angara said.
He said the career progression reform is one of President Marcos’ lasting legacies precisely because of stories like Luchavez’s, and that no teacher should ever again have to choose between their own advancement and their family.
