Angara criticizes moves to discredit DepEd

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has criticized attempts to discredit the Department of Education (DepEd) following alleged efforts to link the agency to controversy.

- By BELLA CARIASO

“Got info a known columnist is looking for dirt on us in DepEd. Good luck,” he posted on X yesterday.

Angara did not name the columnist.

Earlier, Angara denounced claims dragging his late father, former Senate president Edgardo Angara, into a supposed network allegedly facilitating budget insertions for kickbacks.

The alleged network reportedly included Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Faye Condez de Sagon, former DepEd undersecretary Trygve Olaivar, former budget secretary Amenah Pangandaman, budget undersecretary Wilford Wong and Ronald Ang.

Angara emphasized that among the five individuals named, only Olaivar had served at the DepEd, underscoring what he described as a lack of any coherent link to substantiate the allegations.

The claims sought to tie the alleged network to the tenure of the late senator.

Infra boost

In a separate development, DepEd yesterday welcomed the Senate’s move to allocate P85.41 billion for basic education facilities in 2026, describing it as a decisive boost for President Marcos’ push toward a more resilient and modern school system.