Angara takes over DepEd

MANILA, Philippines —Sen. Sonny Angara officially took the reins of the Department of Education yesterday, succeeding Vice President Sara Duterte as the 37th DepEd secretary.

Angara, who tendered his resignation as a member of the Senate yesterday, received the department seal and flag from Duterte during ceremonies at the DepEd central office in Pasig City.

In her last speech as DepEd chief, Duterte highlighted the programs and projects, including the Matatag Curriculum rollout and review of the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum, that were implemented during her two-year tenure.

Duterte said some projects were unrealized during her stint, including the Matatag Center and Portal, DepEd digital education agenda, overtime pay for teachers, revised curriculum for SHS, universal school-based feeding program for kindergarten learners as well as the calamity fund and health insurance for teaching and non-teaching personnel.

She expressed hope that Angara would push the unrealized projects.

Angara, during his inaugural speech, expressed his gratitude and commitment to improving the Philippine education system.

“It is a great honor that President Marcos has given us to serve as secretary of the Department of Education. I humbly accept this position, in response to our President’s trust and challenge to further enhance programs that will promote high quality education for our students,” Angara said.

He also paid tribute to Duterte and other outgoing DepEd officials for their dedication and service, underscoring the importance of building on existing efforts.

“We will build from what you have already started,” Angara said.

Civil society group Tindig Pilipinas also asked Angara to address the crisis in education and to reconsider the implementation of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

“Our challenge to Secretary Angara is to address the crisis in education. He should change the legacy of former Deped secretary Duterte of purely drama. The squabble among politicians will not address the needs of students and teachers,” said Tindig Pilipinas convenor Matthew Silverio.

After turning over the DepEd to Angara, Duterte revealed that her reason for leaving the post was