Sonny Angara is new DepEd secretary

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 12:25 p.m.) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named Sen. Sonny Angara as the new secretary of the Department of Education.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced Angara's appointment as the new DepEd chief on Tuesday.

“Sonny has agreed to take on the brief of the Department of Education,” Marcos said in the PCO news release.

Angara is set to replace Vice President Sara Duterte, whose resignation as DepEd secretary will take effect on July 19 — the last working day before Marcos delivers his third State of the Nation Address.

In a statement on Tuesday, Angara thanked the president for appointing him, saying that the education portfolio is a “significant responsibility” that he has “accepted with humility and a profound sense of duty.”

The senator added that he is committed to working with all sectors, including Duterte, and is looking forward to “building upon [Duterte’s] accomplishments” at DepEd. 

Duterte resigned from all Cabinet positions on June 19 and has been tight-lipped about the reason why, only saying that she did not do it out of "weakness" but out of "concern" or "compassion" for teachers and students. Days after, Marcos said Duterte did not explain her resignation and simply asked "not to talk about it."

DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa on Tuesday welcomed Angara's appointment, saying in a statement sent to reporters: "The DepEd community looks forward to working with the new leadership as we continue our relentless pursuit towards improving the quality of Basic Education in the country."

Angara is on his last term as senator after having been elected to the Senate twice, first from 2013 to 2016 and then from 2022 to 2025. This bars him from running for re-election in the upcoming 2025 midterm polls. 

Commission on Elections Chairperson George Garcia said Angara’s Senate seat will remain vacant unless there is a call from the upper chamber to hold special elections. 

The senator is currently a commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), a three-year congressional body tasked with assessing the problems of the Philippine education system and recommending legislative