MANILA, Philippines — The Commission of Appointments on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of budget reform advocate Leonor Briones as Education secretary.
Sen. Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, chair of the CA's education committee, praised Briones for her excellence in the academe — Briones is a professor emeritus at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance — and in public service.
"Isa po siyang katangi-tanging lingkod bayan na kilala sa pag-sulong ng de kalidad na edukasyon kasabay ng mabuti at maayos na pamamahala," Aquino said.
He added that Briones will make the hopes and dreams of the government for every Filipino student a reality.
"She truly is a champion of education," Aquino said.
Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, meanwhile, believes that Briones would be able to solve underspending in the Education department.
Briones, an advocate of budget reform, criticized the Aquino administration for underspending and for the use of lump-sum funds.
"But that challenge is not yours to handle alone. It is for the whole government. It is, in fact, for the whole of us," Recto said.
Recto, claiming to have been one of Briones' favorite students, said that she used to give them hard homework in class. He said, however, that even that would "pale in comparison" to the assignment Briones has been given.
"If she fails, the nation gets a failing grade on its most important assignment of all: to teach its children well," Recto added.
Briones also answered issues on her physical fitness to head the Department of Education during the confirmation proceedings.
"It is true that I use a wheelchair whenever I travel by plane but there is no correlation between the state of my knees and the state of my brain," Briones said.
She also reiterated that the DepEd will not be involved in the distribution of condoms, saying that schools cannot be distribution centers for contraceptives.
"It's out of the question as far as DepEd is concerned. No condoms," Briones said.