Teacher professionalism has been a long-standing discussion in education. Education scholars often refer to teacher professionalism as the improvement in the quality and standards of teachers and their practices and the enhancement of the teaching profession. In the Philippines, teacher professionalism has become a focus of education reform upon the introduction of a new policy in 2017 entitled the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST) policy. Government leaders and education officials claim that the PPST would help teachers achieve personal growth and professional development. However, the government introduced the policy without a transparent discussion of its ideological intent. This article examines this gap by analysing the ideologies that underpin the PPST policy and comparing and contrasting these to the ideologies emphasised in the policy it replaced, the National Competency-based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) policy. Using thematic analysis, the findings suggest that the change of policies reflects a shift from collectivism to a more individualistic orientation. This is manifested in the shift in focus from teaching practices to teachers themselves, from emphasising teachers' contribution to student learning outcomes to broader national goals, from the promotion of mutually obligated individuals' goals to personal aspirations, and from improving practice for students to improving practice for standards. This article contributes to the discussion on the influence of professional standards on teacher professionalism and how it becomes a mechanism for perpetuating a neoliberal agenda through policy.