‘Blind obedience’: Robredo twits Briones for pleasing only Duterte, not teachers, students

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo took a swipe at Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Sunday for her apparent “blind obedience” to President Rodrigo Duterte, saying that the official is only pleasing her boss but not the teachers and students.

“Iyong mga bata kailangang matuto, iyong mga teachers kailangan ng tulong, hindi si Presidente,” Robredo said in her radio show with Ely Saludar.

“Iyong akin, totoo na si Presidente iyong nag-appoint sa kaniya, pero sana naman… sana naman ipagtanggol niya, sana naman ipagtanggol niya iyong mga bata na nangangailangan ng tulong, ipagtanggol niya iyong mga teachers na nangangailangan ng tulong.”

She added: “Hindi naman dito puwede iyong blind obedience. Hindi dito puwede, Ka Ely, na iyong ginagawa mo, ipi-please mo… ipi-please mo iyong mga nakakataas sa iyo at the expense, at the expense noong mga estudyanteng natutulungan.”

The opposition stalwart issued the statement after Briones said that the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Community Learning Hubs are not approved by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Briones also said that face-to-face classes remain prohibited amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The OVP launched the community learning hub in October for students who may not have access to gadgets needed for learning.

But Robredo questioned the timing of Briones’ remarks, saying that coordination with DepEd was done as early as July.

“Sobrang conflicted ako sa pag-comment dito, kasi ayaw ko, Ka Ely, madamay iyong mga partners. Ayaw kong madamay iyong mga kausap namin na local officials, DepEd officials, kasi kung mayroon dapat insulated sa politika, education iyon. Education saka health, dapat insulated ito sa politika,” Robredo said.

“Lumabas iyong mga sulat na August iyong date ng exchange namin. December na ngayon—magde-December na. Pero iyong coordination namin, Ka Ely, July pa nag-umpisa,” she explained.

The Vice President also insisted that the program does not utilize face-to-face classes.

“Wala tayong teachers. Ang mayroon natin, Ka Ely, tutors na kung may batang nahihirapan, puwede siyang pumunta siya sa center para siya matulungan,” she said.

The Education sector is currently utilizing blended learning—a combination of online and modular teaching modalities—as campuses remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

JE