MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker has urged Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte to resign from her post as the chief of the Department of Education (DepEd).
In a statement on Friday evening, Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua asserted that “it is time for accountability for VP Sara Duterte and the Duterte family.”
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“The Vice President should show some decency by resigning from her DepEd post at the very least. Her family unleashed a barrage of insults and attacks directly to the President and yet she does nothing and is still enjoying the perks of being part of the official family,” the statement read.
Chua then urged Duterte to “draw the line” rather than “pretending” to be a full partner of Marcos.
“She cannot have the best of both worlds by being a fence sitter while her family and their allies challenge the authority and mandate of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr while having little to show for in terms of substantive results at the Department of Education, where she is Secretary,” it added.
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Furthermore, the lawmaker criticized Duterte for being “woefully silent” while the country’s sovereignty in the disputed West Philippine Sea and exclusive economic zone have been challenged with ship blockades and aggressive maneuvers from China.
He also scrutinized the so-called catch-up Fridays at DepEd schools as a “waste of time with no real results to show.”
“Learning deficits from the pandemic are worsened by the continuing resort to modules and online classes which were ineffective during the pandemic and are still ineffective now,” Chua said.