Despite recognizing the urgency to fill the vacant spot, President Marcos admitted that he was having difficulty finding a new Department of Education (DepEd) secretary, saying the new agency head should be a good educator and administrator.

Marcos said this after he said that he would announce the new DepEd secretary replacing Vice President Sara Duterte by the end of this week.

In an interview in Makati City on Saturday morning, June 29, the President asked for more time as finding a new DepEd secretary was harder than he thought.

"It turns out it's harder than I thought because we absolutely have to get it right. So I'm giving myself more time," he said.

"We're looking at everyone. We don't make a shortlist," he added.

Marcos refused to identify the people he is considering for the post but said he has noted all the qualities raised by different sectors for the next Education secretary.

"There are many calls for the new secretary to be an educator. There are many calls for the new secretary to be an administrator. There are new calls for a historical professor," he said.

"They are all valid concerns. That's what education is all about," he added.

According to the President, the next DepEd secretary must have an understanding of what is important in terms of being an educator while being able to "galvanize" the DepEd, and make the educational standard better.

"So you need an educator who understands how to help the students, how to help the teachers. There are many people who understand that, who are experts, really, in the education sector," Marcos said.

"That requires a very good hand on the pillar of the DepEd, who can manage it properly, who understands the bureaucracy, who understands how to use the budget properly, all of these things," he added.

President Marcos thanked Vice President Duterte, who resigned from all her Cabinet posts last week, for being able to handle DepEd since 2022 and vowed to look for a successor who could fill her shoes.

"Mahirap ang trabaho ng DepEd. That's why we have to thank Inday Sara for, really, the effort that she put in," he said.

"There's a great deal more work to be done, and we'll find the right person to do it," he added.

(Video courtesy of Jonathan Andal/MPC Pool)