By Marisol Bo-oc | 04:00 PM June 19, 2024
Vice President Sara Duterte has tendered her resignation as Department of Education secretary, said the Palace on Wednesday.
In a statement to reporters, the Palace said Duterte did not disclose the reason for her resignation.
In a press conference after her resignation, Duterte also did not provide a reason for her exit from the Marcos Cabinet, but said the move is not a sign of weakness.
“Mga kababayan, ang aking pagbibitiw ay hindi lulan ng kahinaan kundi dala ng tunay na malasakit para sa ating mga guro at kabataang Pilipino,” Duterte said.
Duterte also resigned from her position as the vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).
Duterte went to Malacañang to submit her resignation in person.
“She declined to give a reason why. She will continue to serve as Vice President,” the PCO said.
Public approval of the vice president and former DepEd secretary dipped in the latter half of 2023 after her P650 million request for confidential funds set off a word war with opposition lawmakers and progressive groups.
Duterte had defended the confidential and intelligence funds as a necessary measure, branding its critics as “enemies of the people” and saying education was “intertwined with national security.”
