VP SARA RESIGNS AS DEPED SECRETARY

VICE President Sara Duterte resigned as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), Malacañang on Wednesday announced.

Duterte also stepped down as vice chairperson of the government’s anti-communist task force.

According to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil,  the Vice President went to Malacañang at 2:21 p.m. Wednesday to tender her resignation as member of the Cabinet, Secretary of the DepEd, and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Garafil said the Vice President did not give any reason for her resignation.

She said the President accepted Duterte’s resignation.

Duterte will continue to serve as Vice President, Garafil said..

Marcos appointed Duterte as education secretary upon their assumption to office on June 30, 2022.

Marcos and Duterte ran and won under the UniTeam Coalition in the 2022 election.

Duterte has been noticeably absent from the events of the President in the past weeks, failing to attend his departure  to Singapore and Brunei.

The Vice President also failed to attend various law-signing ceremonies in Malacañang, including a law that granted additional allowances to teachers.

Two months before Duterte’s resignation on Wednesday, Marcos dismissed lawmakers’ calls for the Vice President  to be replaced as education secretary, saying he would only replace his Cabinet secretaries if they “don’t do their jobs properly.” 

This was after First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos admitted that she and the Vice President were no longer on good terms due to her attendance at the public rallies held by Duterte’s supporters against the president.

The First Lady even admitted snubbing Sara Duterte saying: “Bad shot na ‘yan sa akin.”

It can be recalled that in 2023, lawmakers stripped the Vice President of her proposed funds. By 2024, members of the Duterte clan began criticizing the President.

“Ano mang kwento, kahit gaano kaganda ay sadyang nagtatapos din. Earlier today, June 19, 2024, I sought an audience with the President and tendered my resignation as the Secretary of Education effective July 19, 2024,”  the Vice President said in a speech at the DepEd Main Office in Pasig City.

She thanked the teachers, non-teaching personnel, local government units and stakeholders for the support as she pushed for reforms in the education sector.

The Vice President, who launched the MATATAG Agenda,  vowed to continue advocating for the rights and welfare of all teachers and learners in the country.

The MATATAG Agenda stands for MAke the curriculum relevant to produce competent and job-ready, active, and responsible citizens; TAke steps to accelerate delivery of basic education facilities and services; TAke good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusive education, and a positive learning environment; and Give support to teachers to teach better.