Marcos Jr. declared the recruitment to his cabinet of “the best and the brightest” as the signal achievement of his first 100 days in office. The people he appointed will need more than 100 days to demonstrate performance proving him correct. But the confusion about management decision-making on sugar importation, the foot-in-mouth statement of Sec.
Sara Duterte is a seasoned politician and local government executive. Whatever her qualifications for public office, she had not previously distinguished herself in the field of education. More important, insiders say she harbored neither desire nor interest in the education portfolio. Once awarded to her by the president, however, it was an offer she could not refuse.
Densing also listed Duterte’s crisis intervention plans: student profiling and grouping based on academic needs; increasing learning time; summer reading remediation programs; involving parents and guardians in the learning process. The laundry list does not clarify the Secretary’s understanding of the challenges confronting her department.