Marcos gives self more time to choose next DepEd secretary

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Saturday said he was giving himself more time to select the successor of Vice President Sara Duterte as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), noting the need to be thorough with the screening process.

"It turns out it's harder than I thought because we absolutely have to get it right. So I'm giving myself more time," Marcos said in an ambush interview in Makati City.

"As I told you before, we have to see, really, what the DepEd needs. Of course, there are many calls for the new secretary to be an educator. There are many calls for the new secretary to be an administrator. There are new calls for a historical professor. All of these, and they are all valid concerns. That's what education is all about," Marcos added.

Marcos said he has gone through curricula vitae of various potential candidates, adding that, "Marami tayong magagaling (We have many candidates who are very good)."

The right person for the DepEd job, the President said, was someone who has an understanding of being an educator while possessing leadership traits as well.

"But then we also have to find—, the same person has to have those qualities that can galvanize this very, very large bureaucracy, which is the DepEd, and to achieve all of those gains, or all of those changes, to make the educational standard better," he said.

Acknowledging that there are experts in the education sector, Marcos said the next DepEd secretary should be able to help teachers and students, and "bring up the test scores."

Marcos said, "But then, how do you achieve that? That requires a very good hand on the pillar of the DepEd, who can manage it properly, who understands the bureaucracy, who understands how to use the budget properly, all of these things."

Duterte had previously lamented the Philippines' poor performance in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), saying that a collective effort must be made to address such a problem.

In a new PISA report, Filipino students ranked second to the last when it comes to creative thinking.

"Mahirap ang trabaho ng DepEd (The DepEd’s task is hard). That's why we have to thank Inday Sara for, really, the effort that she put in. There's a great deal more work to be done, and we'll find the right person for it," the President said.

Marcos said he does not create or have a shortlist for the next DepEd secretary.

"We're looking at everyone. We don't make a shortlist. Every time somebody—, I know people myself, na sa palagay ko kaya nila ang trabaho (I think this person can do the job), and many people come to me and say, 'Why don't you think about this fellow, why don't you think about this maestra (teacher)?'"

"Sa madaling sabi, oo, nahirapan akong pumili dahil napaka-komplikado ng trabaho ng DepEd (In other words, yes, I had a hard time because the DepEd job is very complicated)," he said.

Duterte announced her resignation last week as DepEd chief and as vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), effective July 19.

Duterte had said that her resignation as DepEd secretary was not due to weakness but out of concern for teachers and students.

In her resignation letter, Duterte said she has prepared a 30-day transition plan for all the nine strands in the DepEd Central Office, as well as for the different Boards and Councils chaired by DepEd and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).

Marcos previously said he would announce the next DepEd secretary by the end of this week. — VDV, GMA Integrated News