UP’s Briones to education dept, Diokno to budget

Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News

Posted at 28 May 2016 11:52 PM | Updated as of 29 May 2016 02:01 PM

Economics professor Benjamin Diokno (L) and Public Administration professor Leonor Briones (R). File Photo/Composite

DAVAO CITY -- (UPDATED) Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday he will appoint two professors of the University of the Philippines (UP), who both served under former president Joseph Estrada, as secretaries of the Education and Budget departments.

Public Administration professor Leonor Briones will handle the Education portfolio, while economics professor Benjamin Diokno will take over the Budget department, Duterte told reporters.

Duterte said one of the first tasks of Briones, a former national Treasurer, is to address the problems caused by the implementation of the K-12 program.

“She’s very quite familiar with the problem that we are facing because of the implementation of K-12. There are lot of students who will be marginalized and a good number of teachers also who lost their positions,” Duterte said.

The incoming President earlier said he now favors the K-12 program, as the country is the last in Asia with a 10-year basic education cycle.

Duterte said he would appoint ex-military men to the Department of National Defense, the Bureau of Customs and the Land Transportation Office.

Former Defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro said he was still thinking about Duterte's offer to return to his former post.

Duterte won the May 9 elections with the promise to wipe out crime and corruption. He has also unveiled an eight-point agenda to grow the economy.