Angara takes the helm at DepEd

Metro Manila, Philippines — Senator Sonny Angara has formally taken the helm as Education secretary, replacing Vice President Sara Duterte who stepped down from her post and quit the Marcos cabinet.

Duterte formally passed the baton to Angara in a ceremony held at the central office of the Department of Education in Pasig City, Manila.

He will assume office beginning tomorrow, July 19.

In a speech, Angara vowed to carry out reforms in the education sector. He added he will lay out priority projects in the coming days.

Angara recognized Duterte for leading the agency over the past two years.

“Ang trabaho n’yo ang magsisilbing matatag na pundasyon ng mga programa at proyekto na aming isusulong. We will build from what you have already started,” he said.

[Translation: Your work will serve as the foundation of the programs and projects that we will do. We will build from what you have started]

Angara’s portfolio

Angara has been a member of Congress for over two decades – the lone representative of Aurora province for nearly a decade before being elected as a senator in 2013.

He was a key figure in the passage of the Universal Access to Tertiary Quality Education law and the Basic Education Act, which established the K-12 curriculum.

Angara is also a commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, a body tasked to assess the education sector.

As education chief, he will be facing what independent think tanks view as an education crisis.

Based on the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) released in June, the Philippines was at the bottom in a ranking that gauged the creative thinking skills of 15-year-old students. The country also scored poorly in mathematics, science, and reading comprehension.

Angara’s term begins at the height of preparations for the opening of the school year (SY) 2024-2025 on July 29.