STA. MARCELA Apayao – Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones urged school administrators to invite graduation speakers who could motivate and inspire students.

Briones made the plea during her visit in the province last week while discouraging public school administrators to invite politicians during graduation rites.

"There are so many role models in addition to good politicians that the children can relate to," Briones said.

Briones added there are achievers all over the country in different fields who can be invited as guest speaker who can inspire the learners.

“If you are from Bohol, you have a physicist who graduated from the University of the Philippines who is with NASA (National Aeronautics Space Administration)," she said, referring to Josephine Santiago-Bond who was recently appointed head of the Advanced Engineering Development Branch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Briones said Santiago-Bond is the one who gets to choose the wonderfully intelligent people who are going to work for NASA.

Santiago-Bond was born in the United States but proudly presents herself as having grown up in the Philippines.

"Ang daming makaka-inspire sa ating mga bata," Briones said.

Briones added while there are no guidelines on getting politicians and candidates as graduation speakers, there is also no instruction to invite the favorite politicians of school administrators and leaders.

The DepEd official added that politicians, incumbent or running for elective position, can only give inspirational words and advice to the learners but campaigning is definitely prohibited as such occasions are not venues to campaign.

Briones was in Apayao from February 25 to 28, for the opening of the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (Caraa) meet.

During the visit, she also took the opportunity to visit the public schools to meet and talk with teachers and learners from this province located 12 hours away from Cordillera's center in Baguio City.