NOT A WEAKNESS Vice President Sara Duterte says she is stepping down as education secretary not out of weakness but of concern for teachers and the youth but did not give the reason for her irrevocable resignation. —SCREENGRAB FROM DEPED PHILIPPINES FACEBOOK PAGE
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte is not yet off the hook despite resigning from the Marcos Cabinet, as she still has to explain how the Department of Education (DepEd) budget was used, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said on Friday.
Brosas said she believes Duterte should still attend the upcoming budget deliberations for the 2025 General Appropriations Bill to explain the worsening education crisis in the country.
The lawmaker said Duterte’s presence is important given that the Philippines ranked among the lowest in terms of creative thinking in the Program for International Student Assessment test.
“Hindi pa lusot si VP Sara Duterte sa nalalapit na national budget deliberations. Kailangan busisiin ang bagsak na performance ng Department of Education at tumitinding krisis sa edukasyon sa ilalim ng kayang panunungkulan,” Brosas said in a statement.
(VP Sara Duterte is not yet off the hook in the upcoming national budget deliberations. We need to scrutinize the poor performance of the Department of Education and the worsening crisis under her tenure.)
Brosas also said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration should take responsibility for supposedly failing to address the education crisis.
“At siyempre, hindi rin ligtas ang administrasyon ni President Marcos Jr. Imbis na isama sa mga prayoridad ang pagsasaayos ng sistema ng edukasyon, Charter change ang pilit na isinaksak sa lalamunan ng mga Pilipino,” she added.
(And of course, the administration of President Marcos Jr. is not without liability here. Instead of prioritizing solutions to the education system, the administration has been insisting on Charter change.)
On Wednesday, the Presidential Communications Office relayed that Duterte has resigned as Education secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
Duterte held a press briefing at the DepEd office to confirm her resignation.
READ: Sara Duterte resigns as DepEd secretary, says Palace
After the Vice President stepped down from her post, there were personalities like Senator Sherwin Gatchalian who praised Duterte for her work at the DepEd.
However, Brosas’ fellow member in the Makabayan bloc, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, believes that Duterte’s resignation should have come sooner, as the two years of the Vice President at DepEd were wasted.
READ: Sara Duterte’s resignation as DepEd chief ‘long overdue’— Castro
Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said that it seems Duterte, in her speech, admitted that her stay at DepEd was a liability to the education sector. Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, meanwhile, asked that the Matatag curriculum crafted during the time of Duterte as DepEd chief must be put on hold, along with alleged “brainwashing” in the DepEd.
INQUIRER.net had asked DepEd officials for their side regarding these statements, but they have not replied as of posting time.
READ: With VP Duterte out, DepEd mess can now be undone – lawmaker