With more time on her hands after leaving the Department of Education (DepEd), Vice President Sara Duterte said she plans to focus on the underserved areas in the country to bring social services there.
Vice President Sara Duterte and new Education Secretary Sonny Angara during the turnover ceremony at the Department of Education (DepEd) Central Office in Pasig City on July 18, 2024. (Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook)
Among other things, Duterte would also prioritize the existing projects of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), including the medical and burial assistance, the “Mag Negosyo Ta Day (MTD),” and the free shuttle services in key cities of the country.
“Hinahanapan natin ‘yung mga underserved na mga areas dun sa iba’t ibang satellite offices natin. Syempre nandiyan pa rin ‘yung para sa kababaihan, kabataan, para sa LGBT and senior citizens (We are looking for underserved areas in our different satellite offices. Of course, our programs for women, youth, LGBT, and senior citizens are still there),” she said in a media interview after the July 18 turnover ceremony.
Calling it a “legacy project” of the OVP since the time of former vice president Noli de Castro, Duterte shared that burial and medical assistance would remain at the core of the OVP services, along with her very own MTD, which provides business capital for livelihood projects spearheaded by women, and the “Libreng Sakay” program.
The Vice President also acknowledged that by resigning as DepEd secretary, which she did amid speculations of a rift between her and the Marcos administration, she now has more time to spend on the OVP’s programs.
Duterte has plans, for example, to adopt some of the projects she started and will implement at DepEd, among which is providing lawyers for teachers.
“Ngayon, hindi na hati iyong oras ko sa dalawang opisina. Iniisip namin na iyong hindi ko nagawa sa Department of Education, ‘yung legal assistance for teachers, gusto namin kunin sa Office of the Vice President. (Now, my time isn’t divided anymore between two offices, we’re thinking about doing what I wasn’t able to do at the Department of Education, legal assistance for teachers, we’d like to take it in at the Office of the Vice President,” she said.
Duterte officially stepped down as DepEd chief last Friday, July 19, exactly a month after tendering her resignation.
While she said there were many reasons for her resignation, she only admitted some “personal” and “work” related issues with President Marcos that led to her leaving his Cabinet.