CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — A teachers’ union is calling on the Department of Education-Region 3 leadership to immediately release the 2025 Collective Negotiation Agreement Cash Incentive (CNA CI) for teaching personnel in the region.
In a statement issued on March 11, the Action for Solidarity for the Empowerment of Teachers (ASSERT) Central Luzon Union (ACLU) said teachers in DepEd-3 have yet to receive the incentive despite the presence of possible savings and the existence of a valid CNA.
The union said the delay stemmed from what it described as inaction and negligence by DepEd-3 director Ronnie S. Mallari in addressing the issue within the 2025 fiscal year.
According to ACLU, the union had been pushing for the implementation of the CNA incentive as early as Feb. 17, 2025, initiating the process and repeatedly requesting meetings and financial documents needed for the computation and release of the benefit.
However, the union said the regional office leadership failed to act on the matter in a timely manner. ACLU noted that it was only on Dec. 23, 2025—the last working day before the holiday break—when Mallari issued a directive to pool division savings for the CNA incentive.
The union said the late directive significantly limited the time required to process the incentive within the allowable government timeline, resulting in the current situation where teachers in the region have yet to receive the benefit.
ACLU stressed that the issue should not be seen as a conflict between teaching and non-teaching personnel. The union clarified that both teaching and non-teaching employees have the right to benefit from savings generated within DepEd-3 under the CNA.
“The issue we are raising is not competition between employees, but the responsibility of DepEd-3 leadership to properly administer and implement the CNA incentive to all,” the union said.
ACLU added that its demand is focused on what it described as the failure of the regional leadership to address the CNA incentive despite repeated requests and consultations with oversight agencies.
The union said the incentive could have been processed within the required timeframe if the regional office had acted earlier. It also emphasized that the issue is a matter of good faith in implementing the CNA between the union and DepEd-3 management.
“The CNA is not merely a signed document. It represents mutual commitments between management and the recognized negotiating agent of employees,” the union said.
According to ACLU, ensuring that employees receive benefits provided under the agreement demonstrates management’s commitment to honoring its obligations. The union warned that failure to act on the CNA incentive undermines the spirit of cooperation and trust between labor and management that the agreement seeks to promote.
ACLU is now urging DepEd-3 leadership to grant the 2025 CNA incentive to teaching personnel and explain the delay in processing the benefit. The group said teachers continue to sustain the public education system through their dedication and work, and that savings generated through their efforts should be returned to them in accordance with the CNA and existing government rules. Press release
