Vice President Sara Duterte FILE PHOTO / Inday Sara Dutere FB page
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte said that she did not recommend anyone to succeed her as the chief of the Department of Education (DepEd).
On June 19, Duterte submitted her resignation as DepEd secretary and vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, effective July 19.
READ: Marcos won’t name new DepEd chief this week: ‘I need more time’
“Ang position ng secretary is a position of trust and confidence from the appointing power…appointing authority which is the president, so dapat talaga ‘yan pinili ng pangulo,” she explained in an ambush interview in Cebu City on Saturday.
(The position of the secretary is a position of trust and confidence from the appointing power… appointing authority, which is the president, so it really should be chosen by the president.)
In a separate interview with reporters in Makati City the same day, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos revealed that he is finding it challenging to select the next education head.
“It turns out it’s harder than I thought because we absolutely have to get it right. So I’m giving myself more time,” he said.
There is also no shortlist for the next DepEd secretary as he is considering all qualified candidates.
Marcos further said that he also acknowledges as “valid concerns” various sector’s call for him to name an educator, administrator, or historical professor as the next DepEd chief.
READ: VP Duterte: My priority now is DepEd transition, not politics
“And that is why, I’ve gone through so many CVs [curriculum vitae]. Many of them are great. It’s…we have to choose somebody who has an understanding of what is important in terms of being an educator.”
“But then we also have to find, the same person has to have those qualities that can galvanize this very, very large democracy, which is the DepEd, and to achieve all of those gains, or all of those changes, to make the educational standard better,” he added.
Marcos likewise emphasized the need for a DepEd leader who understands the country’s academic performance issues, as reflected in previous test scores.