Marcos: New DepEd chief to be named this week

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday that he will announce a new Department of Education Secretary after Vice President Sara Duterte resigned from her Cabinet post last 19 June.

In an interview with Palace reporters at The Manila Hotel, Marcos said there is an urgency to fill the position and ensure seamless operations within the department.

"We cannot just leave it like that without a secretary. That's why I'm hurrying everything. We need to determine the next steps promptly," Marcos said.

"We need to assess what the DepEd requires at this stage. Do we need an educator, an administrator, or an accountant?" Marcos added, underscoring the ongoing deliberations to identify the most suitable candidate for the role.

The President said Duterte didn't give a reason for resigning as DepEd secretary and co-vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. This is thought to be the last political fight between the Marcos and Duterte families before the 2025 midterm elections.

During her news conference the day she resigned from her post, Duterte also didn't say why she was leaving Marcos' Cabinet. Instead, she just said that she wasn't leaving out of "weakness" but "concern" for teachers and students.

WATCH: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday, 27 June, that he will announce the new Education Secretary “by the end of the week”, after Vice President Sara Duterte resigned from the Department of Education. Marcos also said that Duterte didn't give specific reasons as to why she resigned from her post. | via Tiziana Celine Piatos

"I asked her if there were any particular reasons why she has chosen to resign from the Department of Education and the NTF-ELCAC, and she said, 'Let's not discuss it.' So I did not force the issue," Marcos said.

"Well, you know we have to carry on and the Department of Education is quite possibly, arguably the most important department because education is that important. So no matter the change of leadership within the department, we still have to carry on," Marcos added.

Asked about the status of the UniTeam after Duterte's resignation from the Cabinet, Marcos said that the Vice President's party—Partido Demokratiko Pilipino—is a separate entity and was never part of the said coalition, thus indicating minimal impact on its structure.

He emphasized that Duterte's future political alignment—whether with the administration or the opposition—would be a significant factor influencing the coalition dynamics moving forward.

"The Uniteam remains intact," Marcos Jr. affirmed. "The only substantial change depends on Inday Sara's stance in the upcoming elections."