(1st UPDATE) 'I think it is only appropriate to give the incoming secretary of education a free hand to choose the people that will be part of his team,' says DepEd Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Michael Poa

MANILA, Philippines – Five high-ranking officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) have resigned from their posts, as incoming Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara takes over the agency on Friday, July 19.

“I think it is only appropriate to give the incoming Secretary of Education, Secretary Angara, a free hand to choose the people that will be part of his team,” DepEd Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Michael Poa told Rappler in a text message on Monday, July 15.

Apart from Poa, the following officials also relinquished their positions:

• DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Nolasco Mempin
• DepEd Assistant Secretary for Procurement Reynold Munsayac
• DepEd Assistant Secretary for Administration Noel Baluyan
• DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda

All five of them were appointed by Vice President Sara Duterte when she assumed the leadership at DepEd.

Asked if he’ll still work for Duterte, Poa said, “I will just wait for instructions from the Vice President, if any.”

Prior to his appointment, Poa served as the chief of staff of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). He also served as a member of the GSIS Editorial Board from 2011 to 2013.

Baluyan and Mempin, both retired generals, were appointed in 2023. Before his retirement, Mempin was the commander of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division, which has operational responsibility over the Davao Region. Baluyan was the assistant division commander of the 3rd Infantry Division before his retirement in December 2022.

Meanwhile, Munsayac had resigned as the commissioner and acting chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government in 2021 to help with Duterte’s campaign in 2022. He later served as spokesman of the Office of the Vice President before his appointment at the DepEd.

As for Fajarda, she is a lawyer by profession.

Angara was made aware of the resignations before he officially takes office. In an interview with DZBB on Sunday, July 14, he said, however, that he has yet to see the documents these officials reportedly submitted to the Office of the President and prefers not to comment yet.

Angara, a lawyer like the Vice President, earned his undergraduate degree in international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1994. He obtained his law degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 2000 and his Master of Laws degree at Harvard Law School in 2003.

Angara inherits a gargantuan problem in the education sector, including the poor performance of Filipino students in global education assessments. A World Bank report showed that 9 in 10 Filipino students aged 10 are struggling to read simple text. – Rappler.com