Vice President Sara Duterte’s decision to resign as Secretary of Education has been met with approval from the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), which described it as ‘long overdue.’ Her departure, effective July 19, signals a shift within the Marcos administration and raises questions about the future of education policy in the Philippines.

ACT Teachers partylist Rep. France Castro emphasized the significance of Duterte’s resignation, criticizing her tenure for neglecting crucial issues in education. She described Duterte’s two-year tenure as DepEd chief as wasted time without meaningful progress.

“Sa wakas ay nag-resign na din sa DepEd si VP Sara. Sana ay mas maaga niya ito ginawa para makapaglagay ng isang kalihim ng DepEd na galing talaga sa sektor ng edukasyon at alam ang kanyang ginagawa,” Castro said.

“Hopefully, she had done this sooner to [give way to the appointment] a Secretary of Education who truly comes from the education sector and knows what they are doing],” the lawmaker added.

Rep. Castro expressed hope for a successor more attuned to the education sector’s needs, urging Marcos Jr. to appoint a competent replacement.

“Whoever replaces her has a big mess to clean up, but we have learned not to place our hopes on politicians and government officials. We will continue to resolutely fight for the welfare of our teachers, students, and education support personnel, and hold accountable whoever is sitting for their duties to the education sector,” ACT’s statement said.

The group also criticized Duterte’s tenure within the NTF-ELCAC. “In resigning her post from the NTF-ELCAC, we hope that the red-tagging agency would also be abolished,” Castro added, addressing concerns over human rights violations linked to the agency’s actions.

Duterte, who also served as Vice Chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), faced scrutiny for her policies and political maneuvers.

The resignation comes amid broader political uncertainties under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration, grappling with internal rifts and external challenges.