Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa voiced his support for Vice President Sara Duterte's recent decision to resign as Education Secretary.
“As I have said whatever her decision now and in the future I am here to support her in every way I can,” Dela Rosa stated in an interview with the media on Friday afternoon, June 28, 2024, at the Annex Event Center, SM City Davao.
He wished Duterte well and acknowledged that despite stepping down from the Department of Education (DepEd), she continues to serve as Vice President of the Philippines.
“She is still the vice president of the Republic of the Philippines, I hope she will continue to perform her mandate,” he said.
Duterte had resigned from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Cabinet, as announced by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on June 19, 2024, stepping down from her roles as DepEd Secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Earlier, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos had expressed discontent with the vice president over former President Rodrigo Duterte’s criticisms against Marcos, labeling him as a drug addict.
However, Marcos affirmed that despite his wife’s concerns and the criticisms from former President Duterte, his relationship with Sara remains strong, and he sees no grounds to remove her from his Cabinet.
In another development on June 25, 2024, Sara announced the candidacy of three Dutertes for the upcoming senatorial elections, confirming that former President Duterte and his sons Paolo and Sebastian will be running. RGP with reports from Third Anne-Peralta-Malonzo