Manila, May 20 -- Educators from Bicol on Tuesday welcomed Malacanang's announcement on the creation of 16,000 new teaching positions in public schools for the upcoming School Year 2025-2026 to strengthen the education sector and ensure sufficient manpower in schools.

In an interview on Tuesday, Kenth Quintanilla, a 22-year-old newly licensed teacher from Pawa, Legazpi City, thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the Department of Education (DepEd) for addressing the gaps in the education sector and voiced hope for ongoing reforms.

"I hope the government continues to focus on our education system and updates outdated teaching methods so that we can keep pace with more developed countries," he added.

He noted that the newly creat...