President Marcos has expressed his gratitude to Vice President Sara Duterte for heading the Department of Education (DepEd) for two years, citing the demands of the education sector that she was able to handle.

Marcos said this as he confessed that he was yet to find Duterte's replacement as the DepEd secretary.

In an interview with reporters in Makati City, the President cited what the DepEd secretary needs to do and thanked the Vice President for being able to do all of those for the past two years.

"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," he said.

"That's why we have to thank Inday Sara for really the effort that she put in," he added.

According to Marcos, the next DepEd secretary has big shoes to fill as there is much to do, particularly in bringing the test scores up.

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

Vice President Duterte has resigned from all her Cabinet posts on June 19. Her resignation takes effect on July 19. She did not give a reason for her stepping down from the post.

President Marcos intended to name Duterte's successor before the month ended but he later admitted that he was having a hard time selecting the new DepEd secretary.

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