LEGISLATORS have mixed reactions over the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte as Education Secretary.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said Duterte’s resignation as DepEd secretary “is a big loss” as the “political will” of the vice president is important in putting the directions of the education sector in “one direction.”
“Ang isang pangunahing dahilan kung bakit itinalaga si Vice President Sara dahil binibigyan ng priority yung appointed Vice President Sara is because he prioritizes the education sector,” Gatchalian said during the Kapihan sa Senado.
He hoped that existing programs and policies being implemented by the DepEd would continue despite her resignation.
For Senate Majority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, President Marcos should appoint a new DepEd chief who has “experience and good track record” in the education sector.
“This person must be someone who has worked with or in the department for decades. Someone familiar with how the department works as well as with the problems of the education sector and educational system. Someone who has dedicated his or her life to education and can show the track record for it,” Pimentel said.
Meanwhile, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa trusts that Duterte’s decision was “well thought of.”
“I believe it was a choice that took into consideration the best interest of our people, as has always been characteristic of her. I fully trust that she will continue to fulfill her mandate as the Vice President of the Philippines and help uplift the lives of every Filipino. After all, beyond her titles, it is her integrity that defines her leadership, and it is this integrity that she shall always uphold,” dela Rosa said.
At the House of Representatives, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman expressed hope that the issues hounding Philippine education will be resolved following Duterte’s resignation.
Lagman also hoped that Duterte’s replacement would come from the ranks of “experienced and dedicated educators who can efficiently steer and professionally manage” the country’s educational system.
He noted that Duterte’s departure from a prime position in the President’s Cabinet signifies the end of the “increasingly tenuous partisan relations” between the Marcos and Duterte political power blocs.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro expressed optimism that President Marcos would appoint a DepEd secretary with experience in the field who would truly serve the education sector.
GABRIELA Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said Duterte’s resignation as DepEd secretary highlights the urgent need to appoint a genuine public servant who will prioritize uplifting the long-neglected education sector.
“From the very start, the Vice President had no real intention of addressing the crisis in our education system,” Brosas said.
Brosas described Duterte’s exit as a political move in preparation for the 2025 elections to “set the stage for a potential power struggle” between the Duterte and Marcos factions.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the breakdown of Duterte’s alliance with President Marcos under the UniTeam exposed the Vice President’s “false façade of unity” that was merely maintained for “election purposes”.
