MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte gave former senator Juan Edgardo Angara, who “hit the ground running” on Thursday, as head of the Department of Education (DepEd), expressing no regrets over her two years in that position.
In a brief interview conducted during the changeover ceremony, Duterte said, “It is with a heavy heart that I leave the Department of Education. I loved this job and my colleagues at DepEd, so I truly have regrets because I wanted to complete the deliverables of the Marcos administration.”
In her resignation letter, Duterte listed a variety of “personal,” “professional,” and “political” reasons, but she did not go into detail, implying that a “sit down” interview would be necessary to have a thorough conversation.
During her speech in Filipino, Duterte stated that the reason was personal and had to do with “what we talked about before I agreed to handle DepEd, the other concerns work, and another for the country.”
She denied speculations that a falling out with First Lady Louise Marie Araneta-Marcos was the reason behind her resignation.
It was Duterte’s wish that some of Angara’s DepEd efforts, such the revamp of the Senior High School curriculum and the DepEd Digital Classroom project, would continue.
Angara called being nominated by President Marcos as the new education chief a “huge honor” during his remarks during the turnover ceremony. In accordance with the “Bagong Pilipinas” (New Philippines) vision, he pledged to pursue the required reforms and adjustments in the educational system.
“As we take on our new role and start a new chapter for DepEd, we will hit the ground running and learn as we go. Please give us some time to delve deeper. In the coming days, we will outline our key priorities,” she said.
