Lapus withdraws senatorial bid

MANILA, Philippines - Education Secretary Jesli Lapus yesterday announced he is no longer running for senator in the 2010 elections.

“After consultation with my family and friends I decided not to run as senator in the 2010 election,” Lapus told reporters during the weekly Daungan ng Balita at the Danarra hotel in Quezon City.

Lapus, who was short listed by the administration party in its senatorial slate, said he wants to continue performing his job as education secretary to help improve education in the country.

He said he asked his political party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) headed by businessman Eduardo Conjuangco Jr., last week to “delete” his name from its shortlist of senatorial candidates.

He said he has already informed President Arroyo of his decision to stay away from politics so his work in the Department of Education (DepEd) will not be politicized.

As education secretary, Lapus has enjoyed the highest performance approval and trust ratings among Mrs. Arroyo’s Cabinet men.

He has consistently topped the performance ratings surveys conducted by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

DepEd also got the highest approval rating at 61 percent in the survey fielded by Pulse Asia.

“There are many ways that we can help improve the education in the country aside from being a senator,” he said.

Some NPC members and supporters, he said, advised him that he is more suited to the role of an executive.

“They observed that I would be more effective as an executive rather than as a senator… I’ve served three presidents already. Who knows? I may be called to serve a fourth,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lapus has drafted a bill seeking to make the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) independent from DepEd.

Marikina Second District Rep. Del Reyes de Guzman and Sen. Francis Escudero will sponsor the bill.

Under the proposed law, NEAP will be restructured like a corporation. Hence, it will be able to generate its own funds and hire its own personnel. – With Rainier Allan Ronda