At least three names have emerged as potential candidates President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. is considering as the next Department of Education (DepEd) secretary.

Over the weekend, a source privy to the matter told The EdLines that National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Ricardo “Dick” de Leon is one of the top nominees for the post, as recommended by some of Marcos’ advisers.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy “Matatag” Class of 1971, de Leon is a former Philippine National Police (PNP) officer who escorted the Marcos family to Hawaii after their exile from the 1986 People Power EDSA Revolution. 

He served in various PNP capacities, including the National Capital Region Police Office and the Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes, and led the Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force in 2004. He retired in 2005 as PNP Deputy Chief for Administration. 

De Leon also had his share of experience in the education sector. He is a former president of the Philippine Public Safety College, a former president of the Mindanao State University and former vice president of the Centro Escolar University.

Sought for elaboration on the choice, the source said a general could “bring back the discipline and nationalism to our youth.” 

The source also revealed other names: University of the East (UE) Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center Inc. President and CEO Ester Garcia and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson J. Prospero “Popoy” De Vera III.

President Garcia became UE’s 11th president in 2006 and was formally installed in 2007. Under her leadership, UE Manila and Caloocan achieved autonomous status in 2009 and 2019, respectively, and the College of Computer Studies and Systems became a CHED Center of Excellence in IT education in 2016. 

Garcia oversaw major infrastructure projects and adapted UE to the K to 12 curriculum. She is a distinguished chemist with numerous awards, including PACU’s Person of the Year in 2022.

This is the first time de Leon’s and Garcia’s names surfaced in connection to the DepEd vacancy. 

Meanwhile, de Vera’s name has been floating in the past few days following the recommendation of Albay Rep. Jose Maria Clemente Salceda.

De Vera is a Professor at UP Diliman’s National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), specializing in public administration, policy analysis and higher education governance. He has held roles as UP vice president for Public Affairs and Director of NCPAG centers. 

With extensive experience in government, he has advised several senate presidents and senators. Internationally, he was a Fulbright-Hays visiting scholar and senior Fulbright visiting professor and fellow. De Vera is also the chairperson of the Board of Regents at UP, the university’s highest policy-making body.

Teachers’ groups have urged Marcos to put a non-politician with education experience at the helm of the DepEd. 

Marcos had originally intended to announce the next DepEd chief by end-June but said Saturday he needed more time to get the choice “absolutely right” given the demands of the largest bureaucracy in the country.