CA approves appointment of Briones as Education secretary

The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday approved the nomination of Education Secretary Leonor Briones.

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, chair of the CA education committee, hailed the “excellence” of Briones in the academe and in public office. 

Aquino said he was confident that Briones, also a former national treasurer and convenor of Social Watch Philippines, “will lead the charge to provide quality education for every Filipino.” 

“She is a champion for education, one who can make our hopes and dreams for every Filipino student a reality,” he said. 

Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said Briones was her “favorite teacher” during his days in the University of the Philippines. 

Recto said the Department of Education (DepEd) would be able to spend its appropriated funds to meet the needs of students under the leadership of Briones, as the latter has opposed the underspending problem of the previous administration. 

“Nakakalula ang spending backlog ng DepEd,” Recto said, citing thousands of funded classrooms yet to be built and teaching positions yet to be filled.  

“The stakes are high because if she fails, the nation gets a failing grade in its most important assignment of all: to teach its children well,” Recto said. 

During the CA committee hearing, Briones answered issues on her physical fitness to lead the DepEd.

“It is true that I use a wheelchair whenever I travel by plane but there is no correlation between the state of my knees and the state of my brain,” the 76-year-old Cabinet secretary said. — MDM, GMA News