GMA designates OIC at DepEd

President Arroyo has designated Undersecretary Fe Hidalgo as the new officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Department of Education (DepEd), replacing Undersecretary Ramon Bacani, Malacañang said yesterday.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye did not give any reason for the change and would not comment on whether politics had something to do with it.

The President signed her order designating Hidalgo as the new OIC on Aug. 30, and this was transmitted on Aug. 31 by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

DepEd employees are reportedly rooting for Hidalgo to become the next secretary to depoliticize the department and give someone who rose up the ranks a chance to lead the DepEd.

Bacani was appointed OIC last July after former Batanes congressman Florencio Abad resigned from his DepEd post along with nine other ranking government officials.

Bacani is a cousin of Manila Rep. Rodolfo Bacani, who exposed an alleged plan by the President’s allies to kill the impeachment complaint against her two days before the House of Representatives’ justice committee voted to throw out the complaint filed by lawyer Oliver Lozano.

The congressman’s brother, Catholic Bishop Teodoro Bacani, had also called on Mrs. Arroyo to resign due to the allegations of electoral fraud and her family’s reported involvement in jueteng operations.

Undersecretary Bacani welcomed Hidalgo’s appointment. In a statement issued late yesterday, he said DepEd employees "have faith that the President will not allow the DepEd to be politicized and her sincerity is clearly shown" by her decision to designate Hidalgo as the new OIC.

He said they believe this brings Hidalgo a step closer to being appointed as the next education secretary and they continue their call for Mrs. Arroyo to finally consider her for the post.

Bacani issued the statement hours after he held a press conference yesterday morning, where the DepEd endorsed Hidalgo as education secretary.

"The department, through its management team as well as its many different sub-sectors, is supporting only one nominee for the position of education secretary. It is therefore my distinct privilege to announce that in recognition of her dedication to the cause of Philippine education, the (DepEd) is united in endorsing the nomination" of Hidalgo, he said during the press conference.

Bacani said they believe that Mrs. Arroyo should recognize the expert opinion of the country’s professional educators, who believe she must appoint an education secretary who truly understands the problems facing the Philippine education system.

"Our education crisis is a very serious one. We therefore need a leader who will be serious about implementing solutions to this crisis," he said.

In a separate statement, DepEd Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz said Hidalgo’s appointment "sends a powerful message about the professionalism of career executives."

"If ever, she will be the first education secretary who started out as a classroom teacher in the public school system and rose through the ranks. This not only recognizes the merits of all career service officials; this, too, underscores the need to depoliticize the department," he said.

From being a classroom teacher, Hidalgo rose through the DepEd to become educational researcher, then chief of staff of the development division of the Human Resources Development Service; director of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines; assistant secretary for Programs, Projects and Regional Operation; and undersecretary for Programs and Projects.

She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and holds a master’s degree in curriculum evaluation and teacher education from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She received her doctorate degree in curriculum development and instructional psychology at the same university.

In a related development, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago defended the appointment of her sister as a commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), saying there was no politics involved.

Santiago was reacting to talk that her sister, Nenalyn Defensor, was appointed to CHED as part of some political concession in exchange for her support of the President during the impeachment proceedings.

Santiago pointed out that her 55-year-old sister was appointed to CHED even before the impeachment proceedings started in the House of Representatives and is well-qualified for the post.

The senator said her sister had to take a pay cut because she preferred to practice her profession, and that an education-related non-government organization even endorsed her sister’s appointment on the grounds that it is "remarkably dissimilar from other appointments since it is not political in nature but is a recognition of experience in the field of educational administration." — With Sandy Araneta, Marvin Sy