In a statement released by the De La Salle University (DLSU) on Wednesday, Bro. Armin Luistro, the current president of DLSU in Manila, has already accepted the offer to become the Education secretary under Aquino’s administration.

After due consultation with various stakeholders in the Lasallian community, Bro. Armin Luistro has accepted the invitation of President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to be the next Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

In a statement released by the De La Salle University (DLSU) on Wednesday, Bro. Luistro, the current president of DLSU in Manila, has already accepted the offer to become the Education secretary under Aquino’s administration.

According to the statement, Bro. Luistro, after accepting the DepEd post, will be replaced as DLSU president through a selection process to be done by the university’s board of trustees, according to the statement.

“While he [Bro. Armin] recognizes the challenges that this transition will pose, he is confident that the tradition of excellence and resilience so deeply embedded in the community will give rise to a stronger University, ever more committed to both Church and nation,” the statement said.

The closeness between Bro. Luistro and the Aquino family was born when he, along with other De La Salle Brothers, supported the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino’s call for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to step down because of the “Hello Garci” controversy. During the wake in the La Salle Greenhills Gymnasium in Mandaluyong City last August, Bro. Luistro even delivered a homily titled “Cory, the Heart of a Saint.”

The incoming DepEd Secretary studied from elementary to high school at the De La Salle in Lipa City, Batangas, before taking up an undergraduate degree in philosophy and letters in DLSU Manila. He got his master’s degree in religious education in the same university.

Sources from DLSU said that in deference to the current DepEd Secretary Mona Valisno and President-elect Aquino, Bro. Luistro is “unable to give any comments at this time.” Like others who accepted Cabinet posts, official statement from Bro. Luistro will be released until after the official announcement has been made.

After accepting the offer, Bro. Luistro, a member of the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines, became the sixth person to accept a Cabinet post under Aquino’s administration. Others who already accepted posts include lawyer Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa Jr. as Executive Secretary; lawyer Edwin Lacierda as Presidential Spokesperson; Corazon “Dinky” Soliman as Social Welfare and Development Secretary; Teresita “Ging” Deles as Presidential Peace Adviser, and Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Leila de Lima who might be the next Department of Justice Secretary.