📷Vice President Sara Duterte | ABS CBN
Vice President Sara Duterte said on Wednesday, June 19, that her decision to resign as Education Secretary was not driven by weakness but by a genuine concern for Filipino teachers and students.
The Vice President issued the remarks in her speech at the Department of Education office in Pasig after Malacañang said that she officially resigned from her Cabinet post effective July 19, 2024.
“Earlier today, I sought an audience with the President and tendered my resignation as the Secretary of Education effective July 19, 2024. I have given my 30-day notice to ensure the proper and orderly transition for the benefit of the next Secretary,” Duterte said.
“Mga kababayan, ang aking pagbibitiw ay hindi lulan ng kahinaan kundi dala ng tunay na malasakit para sa ating mga guro at kabataang Pilipino. Bagama’t hindi ako magpapatuloy na mamamahala sa kagawaran, patuloy pa rin nating itataguyod ang kalidad ng edukasyon na nararaapat para sa Pilipino,” Duterte added.
Duterte also vowed to continue being a “mother” for all teachers and students.
She likewise enumerated some of the things that DepEd had done well while she was Secretary, such as starting the MATATAG program.
She also thanked the national government, the local government units, partners in the business sector, and everyone in her DepEd family.
But Duterte also thanked teachers in particular for their “passion and unwavering commitment to the youth.”
“Salamat sa suporta, salamat sa pagiging matatag. The nation will forever be in your debts. Sa dalawang taon nating pagsasama, ang kwentong nabuo natin, ay kwento ng kapit-bisig na pagtaguyod sa adhikaing maitatag ang isang bansang makabata at batang makabansa,” she said.
Duterte hasn’t been to any of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent events, like the departure ceremonies to Singapore and Brunei.
In addition, she missed a number of events at Malacañang where laws were signed, including one that gave teachers extra allowance.
Instead of being in Manila for Independence Day celebrations this year, Duterte also went to her hometown of Davao City to take part.
During an interview with the media in Davao on Independence Day, the Vice President said that the duo was no longer useful.
First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos, who is married to Marcos, said she had bad feelings toward the Vice President after Sara’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, called the President “bangag,” which means “high on drugs.”
When the First Lady saw the Vice President laughing at her dad’s comment at a gathering in Davao City in late January, which was against trying to change the 1987 Constitution, she felt hurt.
In February, the Vice President said that she and Marcos did not have any problems with each other, even though her father and brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, had said bad things about the President.
Even though it made his wife sad, Marcos said he didn’t see a reason to replace Duterte in his Cabinet. (TCSP)
