VP Sara: I made no recommendation for new DepEd secretary

Following her resignation as Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary, Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday said she did not recommend anyone for the post, noting that it was a matter of the President's trust and confidence.

“Wala na akong ni-recommend na new secretary for the Department of Education dahil ang posisyon ng Secretary is a  position of trust and confidence. The appointing power and appointing authority of which is the President,” Duterte said during an ambush interview with reporters in Cebu.

(I did not recommend anyone to be the new secretary of the Department of Education because the  position of secretary is a position of trust and confidence.)

“Dapat talaga ‘yan, pinili ng Pangulo dahil dapat ‘yan pinagkakatiwalaan ng Pangulo” Duterte added.

(The appointee should be selected and trusted by the President.)

Last week, Duterte announced her resignation as DepEd chief and 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 had 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).

However, she disagreed with groups that said the next DepEd chief should come from the education sector, saying there was no such requirement.

Marcos earlier in the day said he was giving himself more time to select Duterte's successor as DepEd secretary, noting the need to be thorough with the screening process. — DVM, GMA Integrated News