Sara Duterte turns over DepEd chief post to Sonny Angara

Vice President and outgoing Department of Education (DepEd) chief Sara Duterte si Senator formally receives incoming Education Secretary Sonny Angara in the central office of DepEd before the Transition Ceremony on Thursday, July 18, 2024. | PHOTO: DepEd’s official Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte, the outgoing Department of Education (DepEd) chief, on Thursday formally handed over her Cabinet post to Sen. Sonny Angara.

In a turnover ceremony at the DepEd main office in Pasig City, the vice president gave Angara the seal and flag of DepEd, the government’s largest bureaucracy which she led in the last two years.

“Welcome to the chaos,” Duterte told Angara in an off-the-cuff remark that drew laughter from the audience.

In a speech during the turnover ceremony, Duterte highlighted her achievements as DepEd head since 2022. Among them, she noted, are the return of in-person classes after COVID-19, the launching of the national learning recovery program to address deficiencies, and DepEd’s highest “unqualified opinion” rating from the Commission on Audit in 2022, a first for the agency.

READ: VP Duterte: I will no longer serve in another Marcos Cabinet post

But the vice president also said she has so many unfinished projects for DepEd like the provision of overtime pay for teachers, a revised senior high school curriculum, and a feeding program for kindergarten students. Duterte urged Angara to continue these programs.

Angara’s response was contained in a speech he delivered during the turnover ceremony: “We will build from what you have already started.”

He likewise said he could not wait to start in his new job given by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“We want to hit the ground running,” said Angara, who will officially become the new education secretary after his oath taking on Friday, July 19.

READ: Angara vows to build on Sara Duterte’s ‘accomplishments’ in DepEd

After the turnover ceremony, Duterte and Angara led a tree planting event at the DepEd grounds. Each of them planted and watered a different tree sapling.

Vice President Sara Duterte hands over the seal and flag of the Department of Education (DepEd) to Sen. Sonny Angara in Pasig City on Thursday, July 18, 2024. INQUIRER.net/John Eric Mendoza

Duterte, her hands still soiled, answered questions regarding her relationship with Marcos, the first lady, and other political matters.

In a final question thrown at her as DepEd chief, Duterte was asked if she regrets running the agency.

“Oh no. In fact, it is with a heavy heart that I leave the Department of Education,” she replied.

Without stating her reason, Duterte resigned as education secretary in June.