How educators perceive the multifaceted ramifications brought forth by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has sparked the interest of research inquirers on account of GenAI’s novelty value and vast scope. As per previous explorations, pre- and in-service teachers manifested both interest and reluctance—two concepts which counterintuitively team up—in the promising potentialities and the possible repercussions of GenAI. In the context of the Philippines, specifically in the region of Zamboanga Peninsula, these dynamics remain indistinct. Data were quantitatively collected from 208 individuals, of whom 68 were male respondents and 140 were female, and of whom 104 were pre-service teachers and the other half was constituted of in-service teachers. Both the pre- and in-service teachers exhibited a moderate perception relative to GenAI, which is suggestive of the recognition and acknowledgement of its potential benefits, enmeshed with caution and hesitation, hence not being taken without demur. Further, gender is not a determining factor in the respondents’ perception towards GenAI, nor is their professional state. With these having been brought to the fore, educators in the Philippine setting may prudently and accountably capitalize on the assistance that GenAI offers and likewise bank on the reluctance to always observe indispensable agency and accountability in their craft.