Marcos welcomes Angara to ‘wild, wild world of Cabinet’

MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Sonny Angara was officially sworn in as the 37th secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), vowing that his leadership would be marked by “collaboration” with stakeholders in addressing the country’s education crisis.

In a statement, the DepEd said Angara took his oath before President Marcos at Malacañang on Friday.

The President formally welcomed the former senator to what he described as the “wild, wild world of the Cabinet.”

“We are looking forward to many good things to come from this appointment. We have had some discussions before he took his oath to give ourselves a good idea of what we think needs to be done,” Marcos said after the oath taking, which was witnessed by Angara’s mother and sisters.
“And I know that Sonny knows what is important and I know that he knows how to get these things done and so I’m very, very optimistic for DepEd,” he added.

“I am extremely grateful to His Excellency, the President, for entrusting me to lead such an important department,” Angara said.

“I know how much he values education, much like every Filipino family. I look forward to working closely with him to pursue immediate reforms in our educational system for the benefit of our young learners and future generations,” he added.

Angara was also present when Marcos signed the New Government Procurement Act on Friday, also in Malacañang. The DepEd chief is the principal author of the measure, which updates the existing procurement law and institutionalizes electronic procurement to ensure better services and remove opportunities for corruption.

Right after his oath-taking, Angara convened the DepEd’s top officials in an executive committee meeting at the agency’s central office in Pasig, where preparations for the opening of School Year 2024-2025 on July 29 were discussed.

Also tackled were “policies and orders that need immediate action,” the DepEd said.

In a statement, Angara said he intends to be a leader who listens to and works with stakeholders in addressing the country’s education crisis.

“I am honored to lead the Department of Education, listen to and work with all stakeholders and collaboratively address the challenges