New DepEd chief: Like father, like son

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday named Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara the new Education secretary, ending speculations on who would succeed Vice President Sara Duterte.

The announcement came more than two weeks before the effectivity of Duterte’s resignation on 19 July.

Who is Sonny Angara?

Angara is the son of the late Edgardo Javier Angara, a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as Senate president from 1993 to 1995.

Like his father, Sonny earned his law degree at the University of the Philippines in 2000. He later obtained his Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.

Additionally, he holds a degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sonny began his political career at the age of 31 when he ran to represent the lone district of Aurora in 2004. He became a deputy minority leader in the House of Representatives.

He was reelected in 2007 and again in 2010 for his second and third terms, respectively, representing the same district under the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party.

During his stint in the lower chamber, Angara authored several measures that were signed into law, including the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 and Republic Act 10157, the Universal Kindergarten Education Act.

In 2013, he was elected senator placing sixth with 16 million votes under the then administration coalitions Team PNoy and Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

A lawmaker for more than 12 years, Angara boasts of authoring and sponsoring more than 340 laws, including the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo (Teaching Supplies) Act; Establishing the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2); Excellence in Teacher Education Act; Inclusive Education Act; and Amending Section 27(B) of the National Internal Revenue Code (tax treatment of proprietary educational institutions or private schools and non-profit hospitals).

He was also listed as one of the proponents of the Alternative Learning System Act and the National Academy for Sports Act.

Now on his second and last term as a senator, Angara is about to assume a new role, this time as a Cabinet member as head of the Department of Education under the Marcos administration.