Sara Duterte to lead DepEd

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is poised to be the country’s next vice president, will also serve as the secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), leading presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said.

Duterte-Carpio, a mother herself, wants the country’s children to be “well-trained and well educated,” Marcos said.

“I think I am already authorized to announce the first nominee that we will be giving to the Commission on Appointments when the time comes should I be proclaimed. And that is that our incoming vice president [who] has agreed to take the brief of the Department of Education,” Marcos Jr. said in a televised speech. “I asked Inday Sara if she can handle this kind of work because the Secretary of Education’s job is difficult. But she agreed [to take up the job],” he added.

In a statement, Duterte-Carpio said it was decided during her discussion with Marcos on Tuesday, May 11 that she would work on producing skilled learners with a mindset to realize their full potential.

“Our country needs a future generation of patriotic Filipinos that advocate peace and discipline in their respective communities,” she said.

She expressed gratitude to Marcos for the trust he bestowed upon her.

In January, Duterte-Carpio said she would propose the mandatory rendering of military service for all Filipinos 18 years old and above when she gets elected as vice president of the country.

She said she would make it possible by tapping the legislative wing of the government.

The country’s Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program which was previously the mandatory military training for college students was made optional in 2002 following the death of Mark Chua, a University of Santo Tomas student who was allegedly killed after divulging corruption allegations in the ROTC.