Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Thursday, July 18, formally assumed his post as Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Vice President and former Secretary Sara Duterte officially turned over the DepEd leadership to Angara during a ceremony at the agency’s central office in Pasig City.
In his first official address as DepEd Chief, Angara paid tribute to Duterte and the rest of the DepEd officials and staff for their work over the past two years.
“Nais kong bigyan ng pagkilala sina Vice President Sara Z. Duterte at mga outgoing officials. Sa loob ng dalawang taon, kayo ang naging sandigan ng ating mga mag-aaral at mga guro sa panahon ng mga suliranin (I would like to recognize Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and the outgoing officials. For the past two years, you have been the pillars supporting our students and teachers during times of difficulty),” Angara said.
As he takes on the new role as DepEd Secretary, Angara also underscored the importance of building on the efforts of his predecessor.
“We will build from what you have already started,” he added.
Before the handover, Duterte delivered her final remarks as Education Chief, highlighting the gains achieved during her term.
Duterte’s resignation, which she tendered on June 19, will become effective on Friday, July 19.
She will leave DepEd along with two undersecretaries and assistant secretaries who also resigned from their posts including Spokesperson, Undersecretary, and Chief of Staff Michael T. Poa; Undersecretary for Administration Nolasco A. Mempin; Assistant Secretary (Office of the Secretary) Sunshine A. Fajarda; Assistant Secretary for Procurement Reynold S. Munsayac; and Assistant Secretary for Administration Noel T. Baluyan. They all tendered their resignations before Angara’s takeover.
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Angara has yet to announce his choice of DepEd officials but assured that any “appropriate appointments” will be announced soon, as he stated earlier.
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https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/16/angara-promises-soon-announcement-of-dep-ed-appointments
Angara already met with other DepEd officials before the turnover.
In his message, Angara also expressed his commitment to addressing the issues facing the basic education sector.
“Education is a pillar of our nation’s progress. And it is only through a nation’s efforts that education will be improved and made more effective. We need to work together,” he said.
“As we assume our role and start a new chapter for DepEd, we will hit the ground running and learn as we go,” Angara explained. “Allow us some time to dig deeper. In the coming days, we will outline our key priorities,” he added.
Before the turnover ceremony, Duterte and Angara met briefly. There was also a tree-planting activity after the ceremony.
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