Angara appointed as DepEd chief

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sonny Angara will be the new education secretary, President Marcos announced yesterday, weeks before the opening of school year 2024-2025.

Angara has accepted the position to be vacated by Vice President Sara Duterte by July 19, according to Marcos.

“Sonny has agreed to take on the brief of the Department of Education (DepEd),” Marcos said during the 17th Cabinet meeting at Malacañang.

Angara was not present at the Cabinet meeting.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has not yet provided details on Angara’s oath-taking.

In his announcement, Marcos emphasized the important role of the DepEd and the need for a leader capable of overseeing its extensive operations.

“The DepEd is arguably the most important department, given the crucial role of education,” the President said.

He added that choosing the next education secretary was “challenging.”

“We have many excellent candidates,” the Chief Executive said.

Marcos has approved the July 29 opening of classes for public elementary and high school this coming school year.

Duterte resigned on June 19 as education secretary and co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

Education champion

Angara has championed significant educational reforms since joining the Senate in 2013.

“With a Master of Laws from Harvard University, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics, his background positions him well to lead DepEd,” the PCO said in a statement yesterday.

Angara was one of the authors of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (K-12) and Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act.

The new DepEd chief received the endorsements of key educational organizations, including the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations and the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities, according to the PCO.

Angara is the son of the late senator Edgardo Angara, who had served as Senate president and University of the Philippines president.

Deeply honored

In a statement sent to reporters, Angara thanked Marcos for the “opportunity” and vowed to work closely with all sectors, including his predecessor, “to create a brighter future for our nation through education.”

“I am deeply honored and grateful to President Marcos for the trust he has placed in me by appointing me as the secretary of the Department of Education, This significant responsibility is one I accept with humility and a profound sense of duty,” Angara said.

“I am committed to working with all sectors of society, including my predecessor, Vice President Sara Duterte, to ensure that every Filipino child has access to quality education. I look forward to building upon her accomplishments,” he added.

For Angara, whose Senate term ends next year, education is the cornerstone of the nation’s future, and through collective effort, the country can address the challenges faced by the education sector and seize the opportunities ahead.

“I am eager to collaborate with President Marcos and the entire administration in serving our students, supporting our teachers and enhancing the overall quality of education in our country,” he said.

DepEd welcomes Angara

The DepEd welcomed Angara as its new secretary, saying it looks forward to working with the outgoing lawmaker on improving the quality of basic education in the country.

“The DepEd community looks forward to working with the new leadership as we continue our relentless pursuit towards improving the quality of Basic Education in the country,” the agency said in a statement yesterday, a few hours after Malacañang announced Angara’s appointment.

Duterte’s office has yet to issue any statement regarding Angara’s appointment, although the Vice President earlier told reporters that she did not recommend anyone to Marcos for the post.

Angara’s fellow senators hailed his appointment as the new education secretary, with those from the “Solid 7” bloc describing it as “well-deserved.”

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Angara’s colleague at Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), vouched for the “integrity, long experience in government service, and ability to think outside the box” of his seatmate at the session hall.

“As a lifelong education champion, former chairperson of the Senate committee on finance and a commissioner of the EDCOM 2, he will bring to the department the expertise and leadership needed to usher in needed reforms and foster innovation in the basic education sector,” Gatchalian said.

He added that he is excited to work with new Education Secretary Angara at EDCOM 2, which Gatchalian co-chairs and Angara served as commissioner.

Former Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri said he is proud to have a fellow member of his “Solid 7” clique to join the Cabinet of President Marcos.

“He is one of our most accomplished legislators and public servants, and I believe that he is more than qualified to head our most important agency, with the biggest share in the national budget no less,” Zubiri said.

“Sen. Sonny brings to the DepEd his brilliant fiscal mind, being a former chair of the Senate finance panel, and his heart for our youth, being part of EDCOM 2,” he added.

Angara will bring to the department the lessons of his late father, “himself a passionate advocate of delivering quality education to every Filipino,” according to Zubiri.

Sen. Nancy Binay said that it is such a proud moment for a member of their “Solid 7” group to be appointed in an important department.

“Education is the great equalizer. Angara is the best person who knows the solutions to the problems of the education sector,” Binay said at a press briefing yesterday.

“The future will be bright and ‘Sonny’ for the DepEd with an Angara at the helm,” Sen. Joel Villanueva, another “Solid 7” member, said.

Members of the majority bloc also congratulated Angara.

Senate President Francis Escudero said he has “full confidence in Angara’s ability to lead the DepEd with excellence and integrity… (with) his background in both Philippine and international education systems equipping him with the necessary perspective and expertise to elevate our educational standards.”

“The President made the right decision in choosing him for the job, given Sen. Angara’s extensive experience and steadfast advocacy for educational reforms which significantly improved our educational system,” Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said.

“His appointment ensures that our educational system is in capable hands and reassures us of a future where education remains a top priority for our nation’s development,” Estrada added.

Senate majority leader Francis Tolentino said that while Angara is a “qualified” choice, the Senate “will lose another legal mind as a consequence.”

In her post on X (formerly Twitter), Sen. Loren Legarda congratulated him, saying “@sonnyangara, the new @DepEd_PH Secretary!”

“With a strong educational background and with significant contributions as the Commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), his leadership promises a bright future for Philippine education,” Legarda said.

Legarda noted that Angara’s efforts have expanded access to education and created countless opportunities for Filipino students.

House lauds choice

Officials and members of the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, yesterday commended Marcos’ appointment of Angara as the next education secretary.

“We are pleased to welcome the appointment of Sen. Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara as the incoming secretary of the Department of Education. Sen. Angara’s extensive experience, unwavering dedication and exemplary public service make him an outstanding choice for this crucial role,” Romualdez said.

“Throughout his career, Sen. Angara has demonstrated a profound commitment to enhancing our educational system and championing our students’ and teachers’ rights and welfare. His impressive background and notable legislative work and education policy achievements equip him with the expertise needed to lead the DepEd with excellence,” he added.

Expressing the House’s full support for Angara “in this new chapter,” Romualdez said that they are eager to collaborate with the new DepEd chief “to realize our vision of ensuring every Filipino child has access to quality education.”

Congressmen also crossed party lines in hailing Angara – a former representative from the province of Aurora – as the latest addition to the Cabinet, who they said is very much qualified to take the job, being a lawyer himself with very impressive credentials.

Reps. Joel Chua of Manila, Ron Salo (Kabayan party-list), Kristine Alexie Besas Tutor (Bohol) and even opposition Reps. France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list and Arlene Brosas of women’s group Gabriela extended their congratulatory messages.

“Angara is quite a good choice and matches with the DepEd. Secretary Angara’s track record and reputation bode well for the DepEd because the department now has a credible, competent and qualified leader,” Chua, a fellow lawyer, said.

Salo, another fellow lawyer, cited Angara’s “exemplary track record in championing educational reforms as a legislator such as the Free College Education law, Universal Kindergarten law, and K-12 law make him exceptionally well-suited for the vital role.”

“With Sen. Angara at the helm, I am confident that the DepEd will continue to develop a robust educational system that will improve the quality of learning of our students, as well as support the welfare of teachers and all educational personnel alike,” Salo said.

Tutor also took the opportunity to ask the newly appointed Cabinet member to “remove the non-teaching burdens of teachers.”

“(Angara) can swiftly remove the burdens of teachers by letting the DOH (Department of Health), DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), and barangay health centers carry the greater burdens on school health and nutrition,” she said.

Castro, who is also House deputy minority leader and a teacher by profession, welcomed Angara’s appointment, but issued a challenge to him right away.

“We are challenging him to immediately address the pressing issues in the country’s education sector. While it is good that a new DepEd secretary has been named, we challenge Sen. Sonny Angara to hit the ground running and immediately address the education crisis in our country as well as the long-standing demands of teachers and education support personnel,” Castro said.

Brosas urged the outgoing senator to “address the education crisis, reconsider the DepEd’s stance on mandatory Reserve Officer Training Corps and K-12 program, which added two more years in high school education, making it a total of six years.

Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez yesterday welcomed Angara’s appointment as the new DepEd secretary.

“We need someone who intimately knows the ins and outs of our education system, and understands it from a finance and management perspective. In this regard, Sen. Angara is the right man for the job,” Benitez, who is also the commissioner of EDCOM 2, said.

Three Negros Occidental lawmakers, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, local lawmakers and officials earlier endorsed him for the position, citing his extensive background and competency in the field of education.

The Makati Business Club (MBC) yesterday said it is looking forward to working with Angara following his appointment as the new DepEd chief.

“The MBC looks forward to working with Sen. Angara and wishes him all the best in this critical role, to ensure that elementary and high school principals and teachers are equipped with the literacy, technical and character skills needed to prepare Filipino children and youth to meet the challenges of the future,” the group said in a statement yesterday.

Special poll unlikely

A special election to replace Angara is highly unlikely, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“In my opinion, because the time is so short, the term of the sitting 12 senators is only one year over, maybe, the Senate will not call (for a special election) and will just wait for the 2025 elections,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said yesterday.

“Unless there is a call from the Senate to call for a special election, the Senate seat will remain vacant,” Garcia pointed out.

He noted that it would require around P13 billion to hold a special election for a senatorial seat because it is on a national level and would also include Filipinos overseas. — Elizabeth Marcelo, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Delon Porcalla, Gilbert Bayoran, Louella Desiderio, Mayen Jaymalin