No replacement yet for VP Sara in DepEd

President Marcos has yet to pick a new Department of Education (DepEd) secretary following the surprise resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte from the post on Wednesday, June 19.

In a text message to reporters, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the President has not yet named an officer-in-charge (OIC) to take over Duterte’s position in DepEd once her 30-day notice ends on July 19.

For now, the Vice President will continue acting as the head of the Education department.

“Sa July 19 pa effectivity ng resignation niya; wala pa OIC (The Vice President’s resignation takes effect on July 19. There’s no OIC yet),” she said on Thursday, June 20.

Duterte reportedly arrived in Malacañan on Wednesday to personally meet Marcos and tender her resignation which the latter accepted. She did not give a reason for resigning from her Cabinet posts.

In a press conference on Wednesday, the Vice President said her resignation was not because of weakness.

“Ang aking pagbibitiw ay hindi lulan ng kahinaan kundi dala ng tunay na malasakit para sa ating mga guro at kabataang Pilipino (My resignation is not because of weakness but because of my genuine concern for our teachers and the Filipino youth),” she said.

This is not the first time in Philippine politics that a sitting vice president resigned from their cabinet post. In June 2015, Former vice president Jejomar Binay submitted his irrevocable resignation from the Aquino Cabinet. He served as housing czar and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFW).

Marcos and Duterte ran together and emerged victorious in the 2022 national elections. Duterte was among the first people to receive a Cabinet post. She initially expressed her desire to head the Department of National Defense (DND) but was appointed as the secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

The two leaders had always maintained a good relationship despite political developments, including former president Rodrigo Duterte accusing Marcos of being a drug addict which led to First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos to call out the Vice President. — Argyll Cyrus Geducos