The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Rose de la Cruz
While praises and congratulations pour to newly-appointed Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara of the Department of Education– whose second term as senator ends next year– education stakeholders are optimistic that a “sunny” future awaits the department. President Marcos appointed Angara to DepEd a day after the latter indicated willingness to accept, if offered, the post.
He vowed to seek advice on how to do his job from his peers in the Cabinet, the Senate and the House, his predecessors and most importantly, those in the education sector namely teachers, students and academic heads. News of his appointment was widely welcomed even by those linked to subversive groups.
The son of the late Senate President and former UP president Edgardo Angara and former chair of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Gloria Manalang, Angara earned his law degree at the University of the Philippines, Master of Laws degree at Harvard University and economics degree at the London School of Economics.
The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said in a statement that Angara’s “wealth of experience” and even “political savvy” will serve him well in his new post while the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), opined that the teachers’ union said they know Angara to be “open” to dialogue with teachers’ groups and for his “consistent” stand on improving their welfare.
Human rights lawyer, “Chel Diokno said Angara “has his work cut out for him as our students and teachers continue to grapple with the learning crisis, but he has to buckle down to work immediately and address the pressing challenges and needs of the education sector that have been overlooked by the previous leadership,” reported the Inquirer..
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition said “For now, we welcome the Senator to the Department and request a meeting with him at his earliest convenience.”
AKO BICOL Party-list Rep. Elizalde Co said he looks forward to meeting Angara during the President’s State of the Nation Address on July 22 and during the budget hearings as he advised the DepEd chief to scrutinize the prepared 2025 DepEd budget and make sure that budget directly solves the quality crisis in our country’s public K to 12 schools.“We counsel the new DepEd Secretary to be immediately visible to the students, teachers, and parents.
“Please quickly land on your feet and immediately get your bearings at DepEd. Make your mark, consult the teachers and parents, and make enrolment and school opening smooth,” he counseled Angara saying the “sooner you take hold of the DepEd reins the better.”
As a legislator, Angara authored the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Republic Act No. 10931), which mandated free tuition in state and local universities and colleges; the Enhanced Basic Education Act (RA 10533), which mandated the K-to-12 curriculum; the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo (Teaching Supplies) Act (RA 11997); the Open Distance Learning Act (RA 10650); the Universal Kindergarten Act (RA 10157); and the Anti-Bullying Act (RA 10627).
The son of the late Senate President and former University of the Philippines president Edgardo Angara and ex-Cultural Center of the Philippines chair Gloria Manalang, Angara earned his law degree at the University of the Philippines, Master of Laws degree at Harvard University and economics degree at the London School of Economics.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), which had been red tagged by his predecessor, said they know him to be “open” to dialogue with teachers’ groups and for his “consistent” stand on improving their welfare.
“ACT hopes that Senator Angara will remain to be amicable, different from his Red-tagger predecessor,” ACT chair Vladimer Quetua said in a separate statement.
Human rights lawyer, Chel Diokno said Angara “has his work cut out for him as our students and teachers continue to grapple with the learning crisis. He has to buckle down to work immediately and address the pressing challenges and needs of the education sector that have been overlooked by the previous leadership,” Diokno told Inquirer.
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition said “For now, we welcome the Senator to the Department and request a meeting with him at his earliest convenience.”