Sara Duterte orders DepEd officials to stay until new chief arrives

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and outgoing Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Wednesday said she ordered all Department of Education (DepEd) officials to stay in their respective posts until the new chief replaces them.

“The day I resigned I sent them a message and invited them to dinner, I told them: ‘All the Usecs and Asecs: Please stay until the new secretary will remove you, because otherwise… it will be detrimental to the department,’” Duterte told reporters in a chance interview in Cebu.

But Duterte noted that some officials have already expressed their decision to leave the department.

“But some said they have decided to leave DepEd. Two will proceed to the Office of the Vice President. And then one — we will discuss what the arrangement will be,” she further explained in her native tongue.

Duterte admitted that she has yet to meet with incoming secretary of education Senator Sonny Angara, but said that a short meeting has been set before the turnover ceremony on Thursday.

“I know that Senator Angara has been with the government for the longest time — longer than me. So he understands the need to improve the quality of education in our country,” Duterte said.

On Tuesday, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa confirmed that he and four other officials resigned from their posts.

Poa said he and the officials resigned “to give the incoming Secretary of Education, Secretary Angara, a free hand to choose the people that will form part of his team.”

READ: DepEd spokesperson, other execs quit

Angara will be replacing Duterte as chief of DepEd after the latter resigned on June 19.

She did not provide a definite reason for quitting and only explained that her action was not a sign of weakness, as it was stirred by compassion for teachers and students.

READ: ‘Cebu City exceeded my expectations’ – DepEd Asec. Bringas