The #MarcosCabinet: Sara Duterte, DepEd secretary


Incumbent Davao City Mayor and presumptive vice president Sara Duterte-Carpio is presumptive president Bongbong Marcos's choice for Department of Education (DepEd) secretary in his incoming administration.

Presumptive vice president Sara Duterte (Noel Pabalate/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Mayor Duterte, 43, is the eldest daughter of incumbent President Duterte. She is a lawyer, and married to a lawyer, Manases "Mans" Carpio. They have three children: Sharky, Stingray, and Stonefish.

The lady official is on her second straight term as Davao mayor (since 2016) and third term overall, the first term lasting from 2010 to 2013. She served as Davao vice mayor from 2007 to 2010.

Before launching her political career, Mayor Duterte took up BS Respiratory Therapy in San Pedro College and graduated in 1999. She apparently wanted to be a doctor, a frustration that she said was highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Six years later, she was already a law graduate.

Mayor Duterte was Marcos's running mate under the UniTeam banner during the May 9 elections. They both appeared to score landslide victories in the vice presidential, and presidential race respectively to the tune of over 31 million votes.

During the campaign period, Mayor Duterte would usually boast about clearing Davao City's billion-peso debt. Under her tenure, Davao has become the eighth richest city in the Philippines.

"Inday Sara" announced her acceptance of the DepEd post last May 12, a day after Marcos revealed her nomination for it.

“So si Inday Sara, sabi niya kaya niya–tinanong ko sa kanya kung kaya niya yung trabaho dahil mahirap ang trabaho ng secretary of education. So pero nag-agree naman siya (I asked Inday Sara if she can take on the job because the job of secretary of education is difficult. But she agreed ),” Marcos said.

“At palagay ko (And I think), kasama na dyan dahil (this includes that) she is a mother, and she wants to make sure that her children are well-trained and well-educated and that is the best motivation that we can hope for," added the presumptive president.