President Marcos on Thursday said he would announce by the end of the week the replacement of Vice President Sara Duterte as Education Secretary.
Mr. Marcos said the education department is arguably the most important government agency and should not be left without a head.
The Chief Executive said he is “rushing” to review potential candidates for the DepEd post.
“We have to carry on and the Department of Education is, possibly, arguably the most important department.
Because education is that important. So no matter the change of leadership within the department, we still have to carry on,” Mr. Marcos told Palace reporters.
“I would like to be able to announce the appointment of the DepEd Secretary by the end of the week. We cannot leave it open. We cannot just leave it like that – vacant without a secretary.”
“Do we need a teacher? Do we need an administrator? Do we need an accountant? What do we need? … That’s what we’re trying to figure out right now,” he added.
Duterte resigned as DepEd Secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) last week, essentially leaving the Cabinet of the Marcos administration.
In her resignation letter, Duterte said she prepared a 30-day plan to ensure the seamless transition of the DepEd portfolio.
The President said Duterte did not provide any reason for stepping down from his Cabinet.
“She didn’t give any reason. I asked her, is there any particular reason why she has chosen to resign from the Department of Education and the NTF-ELCAC? And she said, ‘Wag na lang nating pag-usapan.’ So I did not force the issue,” he said.
President Marcos and Duterte ran and won under the UniTeam coalition during the 2022 elections.
Asked if there is still a UniTeam, Mr. Marcos said it is up to Duterte.
“It depends on Inday Sara’s position when the election comes. Is she in the administration or is she in the opposition? That will be the only major determinant. But as the parties involved, the UniTeam is still the same, it hasn’t changed,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Marcos hopes to name next DepEd chief as soon as possible”