Senator Loren Legarda on Thursday called on the public to respect Vice President Sara Duterte’s decision to step down from the Department of Education (DepEd).

“She still serves as the vice president of the Republic of the Philippines. Her resignation as secretary of the Department of Education — let’s all respect her decision and let us move on with other relevant things,” Legarda told reporters.

“Let’s respect it. It’s her political, personal decision, which I am not privy to,” she added.

Legarda, who was part of the UniTeam senatorial slate in the 2022 elections, made the comments in response to questions about Duterte’s resignation from the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Duterte announced her departure from the DepEd and her role as vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Wednesday.

Duterte led the DepEd for nearly two years. She did not give a reason for her resignation.

She earlier noted that the political alliance between her and Marcos under the UniTeam banner was solely for the 2022 elections.

“The UniTeam was a tandem during the 2022 elections. The elections are over, we won, and we are grateful to those who supported us,” she had said. “We are not candidates anymore.”

Speculations about discord within the UniTeam had circulated for some time. Tensions were highlighted after First Lady Liza Marcos, in an April interview, revealed a rift following Duterte’s attendance at a Davao protest against Charter change in January.

During the protest, Sara’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, mocked Marcos, accusing him of being “bangag” or high on illegal drugs, while Sara was seen laughing.

With Duterte’s resignation, the job of Education secretary remained vacant, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, who said an officer-in-charge had yet to be designated.

“VP Sara’s resignation’s effectivity is on 19 July; there’s no OIC yet,” Garafil said via Viber.

In her resignation letter to President Marcos, Duterte emphasized her intent for a smooth transition: “I hereby tender my irrevocable resignation as Secretary of the Department of Education and Co-Vice Chairperson of the NTF-ELCAC effective 19 July 2024.”