Coastal teachers welcome enactment of ‘Last Mile’ law

MANILA, Philippines — Teachers welcomed the enactment of Republic Act 12321, or the Last Mile and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) Schools Act, saying the measure provides long-awaited and permanent government support for public schools in remote and underserved communities.

The law institutionalizes permanent government funding, support and infrastructure development for public basic education schools in GIDA and other underserved communities.

Among those who expressed support were teachers from Bulacan’s coastal communities, who said the measure addresses longstanding challenges faced by schools in
geographically isolated areas.

Maria Victoria Pinto, a teacher at the City of Malolos Integrated School-Babatnin in a coastal village in Bulacan, said the law would provide lasting assistance to schools that have long struggled with limited resources.

“As a public school teacher, I am truly grateful and heartened by the signing of Republic Act 12321 or the Last Mile and GIDA Schools Act. This is exactly the kind of lasting support our schools in far-flung and underserved communities have long needed,” she said.

“Finally, funding and assistance will no longer depend on yearly budget approvals or shifting priorities – there is now a permanent guarantee for better classrooms, learning tools and safe facilities for our learners and teachers in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” she added. “May this law pave [the] way for long-term and lasting progress in the Philippine education system.”

Echoing the same sentiment, Erwin Cabigao, a teacher who grew up in the coastal barangay of Caliligawan in the City of Malolos and has witnessed children walk for hours through mud and swollen rivers just to attend classes in makeshift classrooms, said the new law finally acknowledges the realities faced by teachers and students in isolated communities.

“For years, those of us assigned to the most remote communities felt completely on our own – stretching our own small salaries to buy basic supplies while watching dedicated colleagues burn out because the isolation and total lack of support became too much to bear,” he said.

“Transforming the Last Mile initiative into a permanent law isn’t just about hazard pay or proper quarters for us; it is a long-overdue declaration that my students in the furthest sitio are worth the exact same investment as children in the city,” he added.

Cabigao, however, reminded officials that passing the law is only the first step.

“A signed law doesn’t automatically pave a mountain road or light up a blackboard,” he said. “Until I see actual concrete poured and safety guaranteed on the ground, I will keep teaching, fighting and holding every government official accountable to the promises made on that paper.”

Securing GIDAs

In support of the new law, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered police units to conduct more regular patrols and community policing activities around GIDA schools.

With the help of the Department of Education, local government units and other stakeholders, the PNP vows to ensure that students and teachers can access education in a peaceful and safe environment.

“The PNP will continue to do its part to keep schools and communities safe so that teachers can fulfill their mission and students can focus on learning with confidence,” he said. “Education should never be limited by distance or security concerns.” — Emmanuel Tupas