Marcos administers oath to ‘good friend’ Angara as DepEd chief

Sonny Angara takes oath as the new secretary of the Department of Education before President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos at the Palace on Friday, July 19. (Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications Office)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially installed his “good friend” Sonny Angara as the new education secretary to lead the Department of Education (DepEd).

The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Palace on Friday, July 19, exactly a month after Vice President Sara Duterte quit the Marcos administration’s Cabinet.

“I have just administered the oath to our good friend here, Secretary Sonny Angara, for his new position in the Department of Education. That formalizes his taking on the position of Secretary for DepEd,” Marcos said during the event.

READ: Sara Duterte turns over DepEd chief post to Sonny Angara

Marcos also expressed optimism about his appointment of Angara as DepEd chief.

“We have had some discussions before he took his oath to give ourselves a good idea of what we think needs to be done. I know Sonny knows what is important and I know how that he knows how to get these things done, and so I’m very very optimistic for DepEd,” he noted.

Angara, a just-resigned senator, thanked Marcos for trusting him to lead such an important government department.

“Mr. President, I know how much you value education, much as every Filipino family does. I look forward to working very closely with you in the coming days and months for the needed reforms in our educational system, for the benefit of our young learners, for the benefit of future generations,” he said.

READ: Sara Duterte to skip Marcos’ Sona, names self ‘designated survivor’

Vice President Duterte resigned as education secretary in June and officially handed over the DepEd leadership to Angara on Thursday, July 18.

Following the turnover ceremony at the DepEd central office in Pasig City, Duterte was asked by reporters if her resignation from the Cabinet was related to her rift with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

“No,” she replied.

“The first lady has nothing to do with my job working with President Marcos,” she added in Filipino.