Marcos to name new DepEd secretary before end of June

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said he would reveal his pick for the new secretary of the Department of Education by the end of the week following Vice President Sara Duterte's resignation from the position.

In an interview with reporters, Marcos said that the education department should not be left without a head as it is "possibly (and) arguably the most important department."

"No matter the change of leadership in the department, we still have to carry on," Marcos said. "I will probably be able to, I would like to be able to announce the appointment of the DepEd Secretary by the end of the week. We cannot leave it open."

The president said Duterte did not explain why she resigned as DepEd secretary and co-vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict — a development that observers believe finalizes the political showdown between the Marcos and Duterte families well ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.

Duterte also did not explain the reason behind her exit from Marcos' Cabinet during her press conference on the day she resigned, only saying that she did not do it out of "weakness" but "concern" for teachers and students.

“She didn’t give any reason. I asked her, is there any particular reason why she has chosen to resign from the Department of Education and the NTF-ELCAC. And she said, ‘Wag na lang nating pag-usapan’ (Let's not talk about it), so I did not force the issue,” Marcos said.

Marcos added that he has requested "several names" to be potential candidates for the position, which teacher groups and education experts say should come from the education sector. 

Duterte said in her resignation letter to Malacañang that she would follow a 30-day transition plan for the DepEd Central Office's nine strands, along with the boards and councils chaired by DepEd and Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). Duterte was elected last year to serve as SEAMEO council president until 2025.

Teachers group Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said in a statement last week that DepEd must be led by a non-politician or an individual not actively involved in partisan politics so the department can be “spared from political bickering” and “divisive political fighting.”

Two months before Duterte's resignation last week, Marcos dismissed lawmakers' calls for Duterte to be replaced as education secretary, saying instead that he would only replace his Cabinet secretaries if they "don't do their jobs properly." — Cristina Chi