Angara ‘open’ to lead DepEd if post offered to him

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara —Senate PRIB

BALER, AURORA, Philippines — Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara on Monday said he would likely accept the education portfolio should President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offer it to him, as he thanked his fellow senators for endorsing him as the next education secretary.

“I’m open [to accepting the appointment] if given the trust [by the President],” Angara told reporters at the sidelines of the 22nd Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day here.

“It may be impossible to reject if it is offered [to me],” he said. “If the President needs us, we would like to help him. We’re [already] helping him in the Senate. So if we can help him in other ways, why not?”

READ: Business group lists 4 nominees for DepEd secretary

He, however, said Malacañang had yet to formally talk to him about the possibility of him succeeding Vice President Sara Duterte, who resigned as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) on June 19.

According to him, Duterte “did a decent job” in leading the biggest state agency for the past two years. “[Her efforts] to decongest the curriculum is a step in the right direction. That’s long overdue so it’s good that she started it,” he said.

READ: Sonny Angara an ‘excellent choice’ to head DepEd – Escudero

‘Resource gaps’

When asked about the programs he would pursue in DepEd, Angara said it would be “premature and improper” for him to talk about his possible plans at this point.

“But definitely the next education secretary should implement reforms to improve the quality of education and what we call ‘resource gaps,’ such as the shortage of classrooms and textbooks,” he added.

This early, Angara is already being considered as a shoo-in for the post after serving in the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2), which was tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the country’s education sector.

Angara, who will be ending his second six-year term as senator in 2025, also got the vote of confidence of his colleagues, among them Senate President Francis Escudero.

“I was asked by some people close to the President who I thought would be a good replacement for [Duterte] at DepEd and the only person I thought of and mentioned was Senator Angara. I don’t know if it reached the President,” Escudero said.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who was the guest of honor at the yearly event that also commemorated the historic Baler Siege, expressed his full support for his fellow member of the so-called “Solid 7” bloc.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said he was not interested in taking another position in the government after his name was also floated as Duterte’s replacement.

Angara, he said, was the best candidate for the job.

“Personally, that’s my recommendation,” Gatchalian said. “First of all, he is an active member of Edcom 2 and we need someone who understands the problems (of the education sector) and knows the solutions.”

Other candidates

A group of private education institutions said Angara was on its list of individuals worthy of replacing Duterte.

The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (Cocopea), in its endorsement submitted to Marcos on June 30, said the next education secretary should possess “exceptional competence, commitment, prudence and moral integrity.”

Cocopea is composed of five private education associations, including the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines; the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities; the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities; the Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities; and the United TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) of the Philippines.

Also included in their list were Negros Occidental Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez, chair of the House committee on housing and urban development; Jocelyn Andaya, the DepEd director at the Bureau of Curriculum and Development; Gina Gonong, DepEd undersecretary for curriculum and teaching; and Fr. Wilmer Joseph Tria, director of Ateneo de Naga University’s University Press and a member of the faculty.

“We believe that each of them has the extensive experience, remarkable qualifications and necessary skills to lead our country’s educational landscape,” Cocopea said. —with a report from Dempsey Reyes