Teachers tell Duterte: Focus on education

TEACHING ’EM RIGHT | A teacher watches as a Grade 2 pupil writes his answer on the blackboard.  (Photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on Sunday called out Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte for her “screwed analogy” that citizens seeking transparency in her spending of taxpayer money, via confidential funds, are “enemies of the people.”

“As a public official, Duterte should not stop people from asking for transparency for she is expected to perform utmost transparency in all her actions and spending. She is not special,” the ACT said in a statement.

The ACT, along with other critics, raised the alarm over Duterte’s request for secret funds for next year amounting to a total of P650 million for both the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President.

“The real enemies of the people are those who use and hide behind the thin concept of peace to squander and spend a lot of money of the people,” said Vladimer Quetua, ACT chair.

“The anomalous use of confidential funds and the officials who impose their will without complying with their constitutional mandate are the real enemies of peace,” he added.

The teachers’ group reiterated that the confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) requested by government agencies should be rechanneled to basic social services, including education.

“We badly needed additional allocation for classrooms, learning materials, armchairs, and teachers’ welfare to immediately mitigate its ballooning shortages,” Quetua said.

The combined P10.4-billion CIF under the proposed 2024 budget could build 4,056 or repair 20,280 damaged classrooms and procure 87,038 armchairs or 289,329 laptops for the teachers, he said.

Primary mandate

The ACT also reminded Duterte that her primary mandate is to resolve the recurring problems in the basic education sector, saying that the learning crisis remains unsolved while teachers are still underpaid, overworked, and lacking support.

“As a secretary, she should be busy insisting [on a] higher budget for classroom and facilities, hiring of new teachers, maintenance and other operating expenses of schools and for teachers’ salaries and benefits,” Quetua said.

The ACT’s representative in Congress, Rep. France Castro, agreed and said that agencies with a primary focus on national security should get confidential funds from civilian agencies.

Castro, who is also House deputy minority leader, expressed support for Speaker Martin Romualdez’s statement last week that there was a need to “revisit” the budgetary needs for the development of Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, the largest among the nine islands and reefs occupied by Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

After his first visit to Pag-asa Island with other key House leaders last week, Romualdez said more funds were needed for the repair of the airstrip on the island and the construction of a port for the benefit of fisherfolk.

The House leader said that confidential funds are “best left” to agencies tasked specifically to protect the WPS and developing the islands and reefs occupied by the Philippines.

He was echoing a statement by House party leaders two weeks ago that confidential funds sought by civilian government agencies are better realigned to agencies whose primary mandate is to safeguard the WPS.

For Castro, this would be a good move for the House to realign the secret funds for this purpose and suggested the development of power production and telecommunications in the island.

P9B needed for WPS

Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told reporters also last week that they will need around P9 billion for the development of all Philippine-occupied islands and reefs in the WPS.

“Building permanent structural outposts in the West Philippine Sea will ensure 24/7 territorial monitoring and would also serve as a rest stop for fishermen,” Castro said.

At the same time, Castro suggested that another option that the House leadership should consider was to realign the confidential funds to state universities and colleges, as well as to government hospitals.

“Option three is to use the funds for more patrol boats and personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard,” she said.

“It would also be best for Congress to look for other unnecessary budgets or allocations on agencies and offices that are not part of their mandate and realign these allocations to social services,” Castro added.