The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH), along with teachers’ groups, on Tuesday, July 2, welcomed the appointment of Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara as the new Education secretary.
“The DepEd community looks forward to working with the new leadership as we continue our relentless pursuit of improving the quality of basic education in the country,” DepEd said in a statement.
In a separate statement, the DOH congratulated Angara on his appointment to lead the DepEd.
“Health and Education are natural partners in the development of our nation,” said Secretary Teodoro Herbosa. “The prevention and control of disease as well as the promotion of wellness begin in the hearts and minds of our children,” he added.
Moreover, Herbosa thanked President Marcos for appointing Angara.
Health literacy, Herbosa said, is needed for Universal Health Care, making Angara an “excellent choice as the next leader of our partner DepEd.”
Teachers’ groups react
For the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines, Angara is an “improved choice” as DepEd chief.
ACT said it has known Angara to be “open to dialogues” with teachers' unions and organizations and consistent in his stand for increasing the salaries and improving the benefits of teachers, as well as addressing some problems of the education system.
During Angara’s senatorial terms, ACT said it had requested dialogues and sought his positions on pertinent education issues such as the education budget, teachers’ salaries, benefits and professional development, and measures for education recovery.
“ACT sees him as someone the alliance can work with,” the group said, hoping that Angara will remain “amicable.”
“We anticipate seeing him assert some of his progressive stances on education concerns even if they run counter to the administration’s policies that only exacerbate the education crisis,” ACT added.
Meanwhile, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) reiterated its earlier stance that it will work with the new DepEd Secretary.
“As we have previously stated, we are willing to work with whoever takes the role to improve the agency and education sector,” TDC said.
Previously, TDC emphasized that the DepEd Secretary should ideally be an “educator or someone from the academic sector” with public school teaching experience.
“This is crucial because someone familiar with the conditions of teachers and the education system must lead the education department,” TDC said.
The group noted that there are “many qualified individuals who meet these criteria, including current DepEd officials who started as classroom teachers and rose from the ranks.”
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However, the group stressed that it respects the President's discretion in appointing any member of his cabinet, recognizing it as his exclusive power under the law.
“We hope that in the future, clear guidelines for the qualifications of some cabinet members, including the Education Secretary, will be established to ensure appointments are not solely dependent on discretion,” TDC said.
Angara’s term will be effective starting July 19. He will be succeeding Vice President Sara Duterte, who resigned from her position on June 19.
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