Vice President Sara Duterte | PHOTO: Official facebook page of Inday Sara Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said that Vice President Sara Duterte will stay as the Secretary of Education despite calls for her resignation.
Lawmakers from the House of Representatives have cast doubt on Duterte’s capacity to oversee the country’s education system.
READ: Marcos urged: Rethink keeping VP as education chief
Asked if Marcos can assure that Sara Duterte will keep her post, Marcos said that it was down to whether or not they could do their jobs.
“Any of the cabinet secretaries will be replaced kapag hindi nila ginagawa yung trabaho nila. All the other things are not part of the discussion. Kapag hindi na kaya, nagkasakit, sabihin mo lang, papalitan ka namin. Kapag hindi talaga marunong o korap, tatanggalin ka talaga namin. Hindi naman ganoon si Inday,” said Marcos in an ambush interview in Occidental Mindoro.
(Any of the cabinet secretaries will be replaced if they do not do their jobs. All the other things are not part of the discussion. If they cannot do it, if they get sick, just say it and you will be replaced. If they are inept or corrupt, you will be removed. Inday is not like that.)
READ: Solon to VP Duterte: Show some decency by resigning from DepEd
Lawmakers’ calls for Sara Duterte’s resignation came for different reasons. Some have questioned her lack of experience in education, while others cited the Duterte family’s barrage of insults against Marcos.
“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,” Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua said in a statement on April 19.
In a January rally, former president Rodrigo Duterte publicly called Marcos “bangag”, a slang term for drug user. Sara Duterte attended the said rally and was caught on camera ‘laughing’ during her father’s speech. This earned her the ire of First Lady Liza Marcos.
READ: Liza Marcos admits snubbing Sara Duterte: ‘Bad shot na ’yan sa akin’
Meanwhile, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said that the country needs someone better fitted for the role of Education Secretary.
“If he were to replace his secretary, then he should get someone he should have gotten in the first place: someone who knows education and whose decisions actually better the sector,” Castro said.