Angara honors 2 teachers in 2026 Outstanding Filipinos awards

MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara honored two public school teachers at the 2026 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos awards on Friday for their leadership and compassionate teaching in basic education.

Angara co-presented the awards with Metrobank senior management, highlighting the work of educators who go beyond their duties to help their students and communities.

“Our teachers are the heart and foundation of our education system. What Dr. Emmanuel Guarde and Engr. Sheila Marie Amigo have demonstrated proves that when a teacher’s love extends beyond the classroom, an entire community can be transformed and uplifted,” Angara said, translated from Filipino.

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Citing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to care for teachers and improve basic education, Angara said the awardees served as “steady beacons of hope, compassion, and innovation.”

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“They remind us every day that behind every child who dreams is a teacher who first believed in them, sacrificed for them, and gave them the tools to succeed,” he added.

Guarde, a Master Teacher III at Cornelio Lintawagin Memorial Elementary School in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, is a member of the Alangan Mangyan indigenous community who has spent 17 years promoting culture-based education.

He developed localized early-grade learning resources and the Mangyan Alangan Community-Based Competencies framework. He also helped establish a primary school, solar lighting and basic facilities in the remote community of Sitio Begnay.

Guarde also initiated the Adult Education and Livelihood Strategy Management Plan, which provides community members with functional literacy and vocational skills.

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“I believe that quality education must be both accessible and meaningful,” Guarde said.

“Through my extensive research on the traditions and values of the Alangan Mangyan, I seek to contribute to the integration of indigenous knowledge into the curriculum so that education can become more inclusive, relevant, and respectful of cultural diversity,” he added.

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Amigo, a Master Teacher I and licensed electrical engineer at Siay National High School in Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay, has served for 11 years.

She developed DULA, or Dynamic Utilization of Learning by Amusement, an initiative that uses low-cost, hands-on learning tools to make science more accessible to high school students.

Through the initiative, students’ average test scores increased from 22.67 percent to a post-intervention average of 70.40 percent.

What started as a lesson plan concept later developed into an instructional strategy, with Amigo’s findings published in 2023 and gaining institutional support at the district and division levels.

Her DULA Eco Havens initiative also established hands-on learning spaces in local barangays.

“As an engineer, I used to find joy in designing systems and solving technical problems. But nothing compares to the immense joy of building a learner’s confidence,” Amigo said.

“My heart fills up whenever a student who used to hide at the back of the classroom out of fear suddenly smiles because they finally understand a difficult lesson,” she added.

Angara also reaffirmed the Department of Education’s commitment to supporting teachers through professional development and welfare initiatives.

Eight other public servants — two higher education professors, three military officers and three police officers — were also honored at the event.

Each awardee received a P1-million cash prize, the Metrobank Foundation “Flame” trophy and a Medallion of Excellence.

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The Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos program was established in 1985 by the late Metrobank Group Chairman George S.K. Ty. It has honored more than 700 public servants for integrity, service and excellence in nation-building.