Secretary of Education (Philippines)

The secretary of education (Filipino: Kalihim ng Edukasyon) is the member of the Cabinet of the Philippines in charge of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Secretary of Education
Kalihim ng Edukasyon
Official seal of the Department of Education
Incumbent Sonny Angara since July 19, 2024[1]
Appointer	The President
Term length	coterminous with President
Inaugural holder	Felipe Buencamino
Formation	June 23, 1898
Website	www.deped.gov.ph

The current secretary is Sonny Angara, who was sworn in on July 19, 2024.^[1][2]

Powers, duties, and functions

Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the secretary exercises supervision and control over the entire department and performs the following functions:

• Advises the president on matters related to education.
• Establishes the policies and standards for the operation of the department pursuant to the approved programs of the government.
• Promulgates rules and regulations necessary to carry out the objectives, policies, functions, plans, programs and projects of the department.
• Promulgates issuances necessary for the efficient administration of the offices under him and proper implementations of laws relative to education.
• Exercises disciplinary powers over officials and employees in accordance with existing laws.
• Formulates and enforces a management control system to measure and evaluate performance of the department and submits periodic reports to the President.
• Prepares and submits to the president through the Department of Budget and Management the budget of the department.
• Appoints all officers and employees of the department except those whose appointment is vested in the president.^[3]

List

1898–1899

#	Image	Name	Position	Tenure started	Tenure ended	President
1		Felipe Buencamino (1848−1929)	Ministro de Fomento - Dirrecion de Instruccion Publica	September 26, 1898	January 21, 1899	Emilio F. Aguinaldo
2		Gracio Gonzaga		January 21, 1899	May 07, 1899
3		Aguedo Velarde		May 07, 1899	November 13, 1899

1901–1935

#	Image	Name	Position	Tenure started	Tenure ended	Governor-General
4		Bernard Moses (1846−1930) [4][5]	Secretary of Public Instruction	March, 1900	December 31, 1902	William Howard Taft
5		James Francis Smith (1859−1928) [5][6]		January 1, 1902	September 20, 1906
						Luke Edward Wright
						Henry Clay Ide
6		William Morgan Shuster (1877−1960) [6][7]		September 28, 1906	March 1, 1909	James Francis Smith
7		Newton W. Gilbert (1862−1939) [7][8]		March 1, 1909	December 1, 1913
						William Cameron Forbes
						Newton W. Gilbert
						Francis Burton Harrison
8		Henderson S. Martin [8][9]		December 1, 1913	June 28, 1917
9		Charles Yeater (1861−1943) [9]		June 29, 1917	January 25, 1922
						Charles Yeater
						Leonard Wood
10		Eugene Allen Gilmore (1871−1953) [10]		January 26, 1922	June 20, 1930
						Eugene Allen Gilmore
						Henry L. Stimson
						Eugene Allen Gilmore
						Dwight F. Davis
–[a]		Nicholas Roosevelt (1893−1982) [11]		July 29, 1930	September 24, 1930
11		George C. Butte (1877−1940) [12][13]		December 31, 1930	June 30, 1932
						George C. Butte
						Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
12		John H. Holliday [13][14]		August 13, 1932	September 1, 1933
						Frank Murphy
13		Joseph R. Hayden (1887−1945) [14]		November 7, 1933	November 15, 1935

1935–present

#	Image	Name	Position	Tenure started	Tenure ended	President
14[b]		Sergio Osmeña (1878−1961) [15]	Secretary of Public Instruction	November 15, 1935	December 1, 1938	Manuel L. Quezon
15[c]		Manuel L. Quezon (1878−1944) [15]		December 1, 1938	April 19, 1939
16		Jorge Bocobo [15]		April 19, 1939	December 24, 1941
(14)[b]		Sergio Osmeña (1878−1961) [16]	Secretary of Public Instruction, Health and Welfare[17]	December 24, 1941	August 1, 1944	Manuel L. Quezon
17		Claro M. Recto (1890−1960) [18]	Commissioner of Education, Health and Welfare	January 26, 1942	October 14, 1943	Jorge B. Vargas[d]
–[e]		Gabriel Mañalac [19]	Minister of Education, Health and Public Welfare	October 20, 1943	January 1, 1944	Jose P. Laurel
18		Camilo Osías (1889−1976) [20]	Minister of Education[21]	May 18, 1944	February, 1945	Jose P. Laurel
19		Carlos P. Romulo[f] (1899−1985) [22][23]	Secretary of Information and Public Relations[24]	October 1944	February 27, 1945	Sergio Osmeña
20		Maximo Kalaw (1891−1954) [25]	Secretary of Instruction and Information[26]	March 8, 1945	May 4, 1945	Sergio Osmeña
21		Jose Reyes		May 5, 1945	January 3, 1946
22		Francisco Benitez		January 3, 1946	May 27, 1946
23		Manuel Gallego		May 28, 1946	October 4, 1947	Manuel Roxas
			Secretary of Education[27]	October 4, 1947	September 20, 1948
						Elpidio Quirino
24		Prudencio Langcauon [28]		September 21, 1948	September 13, 1950
25		Pablo Lorenzo		September 14, 1950	April 3, 1951
26		Teodoro Evangelista		May 18, 1951	September 30, 1951
27		Cecilio Putong (1891−1980)		April 18, 1952	January 13, 1954
						Ramon Magsaysay
28		Pastor Endencia		January 13, 1954	June 30, 1954
29		Gregorio Hernandez Jr.		July 1, 1954	March 17, 1957
30		Martin Aguilar Jr.		March 18, 1957	September 2, 1957	Carlos P. Garcia
31		Manuel Lim		September 3, 1957	November 17, 1957
32		Daniel Salcedo		November 18, 1957	May 31, 1959
33		José E. Romero (1897−1978)		June 1, 1959	September 4, 1962
						Diosdado Macapagal
34		Jose Tuason		September 5, 1962	December 30, 1962
35		Alejandro Roces (1924−2011)		December 30, 1962	September 7, 1965
36		Carlos P. Romulo (1899−1985)		December 30, 1965	December 16, 1967	Ferdinand Marcos
37		Onofre Corpuz (1926−2013)		December 17, 1967	April 20, 1971
38		Juan Manuel		April 21, 1971	September 23, 1972
			Secretary of Education and Culture	September 24, 1972	June 2, 1978
			Minister of Education and Culture[29]	June 2, 1978	June 1979
(37)		Onofre Corpuz (1926−2013)		July 1979	September 10, 1982
			Minister of Education, Culture and Sports	September 11, 1982	January 18, 1984
39		Jaime C. Laya (born 1939)		January 18, 1984	February 25, 1986
40		Lourdes Quisumbing (1921−2017)		February 25, 1986	February 11, 1987	Corazon Aquino
			Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports[30]	February 11, 1987	December 1989
41		Isidro Cariño		January 3, 1990	June 30, 1992
42		Armand Fabella (1930−2008)		July 1, 1992	July 6, 1994	Fidel V. Ramos
43		Ricardo Gloria		July 7, 1994	December 1997
44		Erlinda Pefianco		February 2, 1998	June 30, 1998
45		Andrew Gonzalez (1940−2006)		July 1, 1998	January 22, 2001	Joseph Estrada
						Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
46		Raul Roco (1941–2005)		January 22, 2001	August 10, 2001
			Secretary of Education	August 11, 2001	August 2002
47		Edilberto de Jesus		September 2002	August 2004
48		Florencio Abad (born 1954)		September 23, 2004	July 8, 2005
–[g]		Ramon Bacani		July 8, 2005	August 30, 2005
–[g]		Fe Hidalgo		August 31, 2005	October 3, 2006
49		Jesli Lapus (born 1949)		October 4, 2006	March 15, 2010
50		Mona Valisno		March 15, 2010	June 30, 2010
51		Armin Luistro (born 1961) [31]		June 30, 2010	June 30, 2016	Benigno Aquino III
52		Leonor Briones (born 1940) [32]		June 30, 2016	June 30, 2022	Rodrigo Duterte
53[b]		Sara Duterte (born 1978) [33][34][35]		June 30, 2022	July 19, 2024	Bongbong Marcos
54		Sonny Angara (born 1972) [36][37][35]		July 19, 2024	Incumbent

Notes

1. Interim secretary.
2. In concurrent capacity as Vice President.
3. In concurrent capacity as President.
4. As Chairman of the Philippine Executive Commission.
5. Acting secretary.
6. Secretary of Information and Public Relations from October 11, 1943. Took charge of public instruction in October 1944.
7. Officer in charge.