ACT Rep. France Castro (L) and Vice President Sara Duterte | PHOTOS: official facebook pages of Act Teachers Party-list and VP Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte continued her word war against ACT Teachers, going so far as saying it is a “fake representative” of the education sector in Congress.
Duterte is responding to ACT Teachers Representative France Castro’s latest statement saying it was the Department of Education, under Duterte, that has been diverting the people from discussing legitimate education issues.
The Vice President said the partylist continues to refuse to “publicly and explicitly condemn” the New People’s Army violence in Masbate.
“I am glad that France Castro confirmed that ACT Teachers is, without a doubt, a fake representative of learners, educators, and other members of the education sector in Congress with her continued refusal to publicly and explicitly condemn the New People’s Army’s violence in Masbate,” Duterte said in a statement.
“That ACT Teachers is a sham and truly does not represent the education sector in Congress was even validated by her call for ‘forensic experts’ and the Commission on Human Rights to ‘see the real perpetrators of the gun firing near the schools’,” she added.
Duterte said Castro’s call confirms her “duplicitous character” which is also seen in her “attempt to lawyer for the terrorist NPAs.”
She also said Castro “continues to ignore” her challenge to condemn the NPAs and “almost neatly slipped into the conversation” a call for the reopening of peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
“No, the Masbate violence does not highlight the need for the resumption of the peace talks. It highlights the need for our collective effort as a nation to protect our learners from threats brought by groups like the NPA,” she said.
“It highlights the NPA’s appetite for violence and its insatiable thirst for the blood of its fellow Filipinos. It also highlights the complicity of people like France Castro and groups like ACT Teachers,” the Vice President added.
The word war between Duterte and ACT Teachers has been ongoing since the latter has asked the government to hire 30,000 teachers annually to fill school shortages.
Duterte earlier said that this endeavour is “unrealistic and impossible” and claimed ACT is only trying to divert attention from the NPA attacks in Masbate province, which has affected students in the said area.