Negros Occidental Third District Representative Jose Francisco Benitez, earlier shortlisted to become the next Department of Education (DepEd) chief, vowed support for Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, who was named as the next Education Secretary by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. yesterday.

In a statement, Benitez, co-commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, welcomed the appointment of Angara to the top DepEd post, which will be vacated by Vice President Sara Duterte on July 19.

“We wish Secretary-Designate Angara success. We express our full support to his leadership. We look forward to continuing working closely with him and the education stakeholders to fix our education system and adapt it to changing times,” the lawmaker said.

Benitez said the country needs an Education Secretary “who intimately knows the ins and outs of our education system and understands it from a finance and management perspective.”

“In this regard, Senator Angara is the right man for the job,” he added.

Before Marcos announced the appointment of Angara, Benitez said “he is supporting whomever the President entrusts with this tremendous task,” adding “we must all work together to fix the country’s education crisis.”

In a separate statement, Angara thanked the President as he vowed to work closely with various stakeholders and his predecessors, including Vice President Duterte.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for the trust he has placed in me as the Secretary of the DepEd. This significant responsibility is one I accept with humility and a profound sense of duty,” he added. (PNA)