Sara tackles education,  cooperation with Singapore leaders

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday met with Singapore’s prime minister and president to discuss education-related issues and cooperation between the Philippines and the city-state.

Duterte, concurrently the Philippines’ education secretary, was in Singapore as part of her official trip as president of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).

Duterte said she discussed language proficiency with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

“Aside from using English as the global language, Prime Minister Lee and I advocate for the teaching of mother tongue to our youth to ensure that their identity and culture will remain alive,” she said in Filipino.

In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister said he had a good discussion with Duterte regarding the “positive trajectory of our bilateral cooperation, and the contributions of the Filipino community in Singapore to our society and economy.”

Duterte also discussed the use of new technology in education with President Halimah Yacob.

Earlier, Duterte met with Singaporean Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, then visited SEAMEO’s Regional Language Center, the Temasek Foundation and the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.

The Mandai Wildlife Reserve is home to a pair of Philippine Eagles, named Sambisig and Geothermica, handed over by the Philippine Eagle Foundation in 2019.

She also met with the Filipino community in Singapore on Wednesday night.

The Vice President traveled to Singapore after a three-day visit to Brunei, where she visited the SEAMEO VOCTECH Regional Center and celebrated the 125th Philippine Independence Day. –  Edith Regalado