Photo courtesy Rep. Johnny Pimentel FB page
SURIGAO del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel has predicted “smooth sailing” for the confirmation of Juan Edgardo Angara as Secretary of Education when he faces the congressional Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday.
“We expect Secretary Angara’s trouble-free confirmation,” Pimentel, CA Assistant Minority Leader, said in a statement on Sunday.
“Secretary Angara is widely recognized to be immensely qualified for the job. So this is not just about according courtesy to a former member of the House of Representatives and the Senate,” Pimentel said.
“In any case, CA members will likely ask Secretary Angara about his roadmap to bring up the test scores of Filipino students in global assessments,” Pimentel said.
The Philippines ranked No. 77 out of 81 countries in an international assessment that measured the performance of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science literacy.
In June, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) also released a report wherein learners from the Philippines came out with the second-lowest score in creative thinking among 64 ranked countries.
The CA’s committee on education chaired by Sen. Raffy Tulfo is set to deliberate on Angara’s ad-interim appointment on August 7.
On the same day, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac will also face for the second time the CA’s committee on labor, employment, social welfare and migrant workers chaired by Negros Occidental Rep. Mercedes Alvarez.
Cacdac was previously bypassed by the CA when the Alvarez panel first met on May 23 and deferred consideration of his original appointment due to lack of material time.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. subsequently reappointed Cacdac as head of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
The Constitution empowers the 25-member CA to vet the competence, fitness and integrity of key presidential appointees – from Cabinet members to senior military officers and diplomats – and to approve or reject them.
The CA is composed of 12 members each from the House and the Senate, with the Senate President as ex officio presiding officer.
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