New education undersecretary named

A new undersecretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) has been appointed recently, replacing the controversial Juan Miguel Luz.

In a statement, DepEd said President Arroyo has appointed Teodosio Sangil Jr. as the department’s undersecretary for finance and administration. He will assume the post this week.

Sangil is an international banker whose previous assignment was as country manager of the Metrobank branch in Shanghai, China.

Prior to this, Sangil was country manager of Metrobank branches in South Korea.

He had a long stint in Metrobank as general manager or country manager in various Asian countries.

Sangil also work as Metrobank’s regional head for its European operations in branches in London, Madrid, Barcelona, Turin, Vienna, Rome, Messina and Milan, which he all organized.

He worked with the Land Bank of the Philippines for 20 years, mostly in overseas operations, including stints in Land Bank-Singapore and other Asian countries.

Sangil believes his exposure to banking, management and planning will help strengthen and reform the DepEd’s financial system.

He is an alumnus of the University of the Philippines (UP), where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, a certificate in governmental management and a masteral degree in public administration.

Sangil also joined the UP faculty as a researcher. He also taught collegiate courses in various educational institutions, including Mindanao State University.

He was a consistent honor student and scholar from elementary to college.

Sangil replaced Luz after the latter resigned, refusing to be transferred to the Department of Labor and Employment. Luz is a brother of Makati Business Club executive director Guillermo Luz, a known critic of President Arroyo.