Sonny Angara is new DepEd chief | ABS-CBN

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Sonny Angara is new DepEd chief

Sonny Angara is new DepEd chief

ABS-CBN News

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Updated Jul 02, 2024 04:07 PM PHT

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Sen. Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, defends the 2024 budget of the Judiciary during Monday’s plenary session November 13, 2023. Senate PRIB Photos/FileSen. Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, defends the 2024 budget of the Judiciary during Monday’s plenary session November 13, 2023. Senate PRIB Photos/File

MANILA (3rd UPDATE) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara as the new Education Secretary.

Angara will replace Vice President Sara Duterte, who announced her resignation from the agency on June 19 and will officially step down as its chief on July 19.

Angara has said that he is ready to helm the education department, the largest bureaucracy in the government, if Marcos appoints him to the agency.

Prior to the announcement, Marcos said that he was having a hard time picking the new DepEd secretary, noting the need to get the appointment right.

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He said he had gone through the qualifications of many individuals considered for the role, and that he was taking into account the public's many expectations for the new DepEd secretary, including being an educator, an administrator, or a historian.

In a statement on Tuesday, Angara, a lawyer by training, said he was deeply "honored and grateful" for the appointment.

"This significant responsibility is one I accept with humility and a profound sense of duty," he said.

He added that he looks forward to working with all sectors, including Vice President Duterte, to "build on her accomplishments" and to ensure access to quality education.

"Education is the cornerstone of our nation's future, and it is through collective effort that we can address the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead," Angara, who is on his second of two allowed consecutive Senate terms, said.

"I am eager to collaborate with President Marcos and the entire administration in serving our students, supporting our teachers, and enhancing the overall quality of education in our country," he also said.

Angara has a Master of Laws from Harvard University, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics.

His prior legislative work includes the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act and the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (K-12).

Angara had been endorsed by key educational organizations such as the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) and the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU).

A teachers' group had earlier called on Marcos to appoint an educator and not a politician to the top education post.

Benjo Basas, Teachers' Dignity Coalition's national chairperson, pointed out in a release that "politicians always have political considerations, whether for upcoming elections or the interests of their party and political clan."

ACT Teachers party-list had also warned against "political accommodations" in picking the new DepEd chief.

"Kailangan talaga natin ay may bitbit na solusyon sa education crisis, may malasakit sa pagtaas ng suweldo ng mga teachers at mga kawani sa edukasyon," Rep. France Castro said on June 20.

(We need someone who will bring a solution to the education crisis and who will push for higher pay and benefits for teachers and education workers.) 

The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) welcomed Angara's appointment, saying in a release that his "swift" appointment is "crucial to ensure that there is no disruption" in Filipino children's education.

PBEd said that while it acknowledges the significance of emphasizing competence over political considerations in the appointment of a new DepEd secretary, Angara "is expected to use his political savvy to navigate legislative processes, build partnerships, and secure resources and support for learners and teachers."

— with a report from Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News


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