Duterte picks Briones to head DepEd, Diokno as DBM chief

MANILA, Philippines – President-elect Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte on Saturday evening said he has offered former National Treasurer Leonor Briones the post of Education secretary and has asked former Budget Secretary Benjamin “Ben” Diokno to head the Department of Budget and Management again.

Duterte said Briones will be tasked with resolving the issues in the implementation of the K-12 program. Among those is accommodating students as schools adjust to the new Senior High School level and addressing the concerns of teachers who may lose their jobs as the program is implemented.

“She is quite familiar with the problem we are facing with the implementation of K to 12,” Duterte said of Briones, who is an advocate of budget reforms and of transparency in government spending. She has asked Duterte to give her until Tuesday, May 31, to decide on the offer.

Meanwhile, the president-elect also said he is offering Diokno the DBM post as he served there under the administration “of so many presidents.”

Both Briones and Diokno served under the administration of ousted President Joseph “Erap” Estrada. Diokno was Budget secretary to President Corazon “Cory” Aquino.

Briones and Diokno also teach at the University of the Philippines. Briones is a professor emeritus at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance while Diokno is a professorial lecturer at the UP School of Economics. —Rosette Adel