Sara Duterte: House 'meddling' with DepEd budget among reasons for resignation

Vice President Sara Duterte delivers her speech announcing her resignation as the Secretary of Education and Vice Chairperson of the NTF ELCAC on June 19, 2024. Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil confirmed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s acceptance of Duterte’s resignation, effective on July 19, 2024.

SARA DUTERTE RESIGNATION- DEPED

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172596444546920240828-sara-duterte-hor-budget-hearing3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Vice President Sara Duterte attends a hearing for the Office of the Vice President&#x27;s 2025 budget at the House of Representatives on August 27, 2024.  Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte attends a hearing for the Office of the Vice President&#x27;s 2025 budget at the House of Representatives on August 27, 2024.  <em>Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte accused several House leaders of &quot;meddling&quot; with the Department of Education’s budget for the construction of classrooms, saying this was among the reasons why she stepped down from her post as Education chief.</p><p>A congressman who she accused of &quot;meddling&quot; however disputed her claim.</p><p>Duterte stepped down as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Education secretary in June, but at that time did not disclose her reason for tendering her irrevocable resignation.</p><p>“Kinuha nila yung budget ng DepEd at isa yan sa mga rason kung bakit ako nag-resign sa Department of Education,” Duterte said in an interview taped on September 4, and released to the media on Tuesday.</p><p>“Hindi na ako papayag na sa susunod na taon ganiyan pa din ang gawin nila at ako ang mananagot sa ginagawa nila,” she said.</p><p>“‘Yan ‘yung sinasabi ko na bakit pa tayo mag question and answer dito para atakihin ninyo ako e ang masusunod lang naman sa budget, dalawang tao lang,” she said.</p><p>In 2023, several House members tried to get a chunk of the DepEd’s P5-billion budget for classroom construction in 2023, the Vice President said.</p><p>“May mga lumapit na miyembro ng House kasi hinihingi nila yung parte ng P5 billion. Sinabi ko, hindi puwede ito kasi ang mangyayari nito, hindi magagawa ng DepEd ang trabaho nito ayon sa classroom backlog at prioritization,” she said.</p><p>“Sabihin ninyo kay Martin Romualdez na hindi puwede chop-chopin ang classroom construction na P5 billion,” she said.</p><p>Duterte said she was surprised to see that the P5 billion fund for new classrooms increased to P15 billion under the General Appropriations Act.</p><p>“Naging P15 billion siya dahil hindi ako pumayag na kunin yung P5 billion, dinagdagan nila ng P10 billion,” she said.</p><p>“‘Yung P10 billion na yun, hindi kontrolado ng Department of Education. Kontrolado yun ni Cong. Zaldy Co at Cong. Martin Romualdez,” she said, referring to Speaker Ferdinand Romualdez and House Appropriations chairman Elizaldy Co.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/10/vp-duterte-no-show-at-house-ovp-budget-hearing-1030">READ: Sara Duterte no show at House OVP budget hearing</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/10/house-panel-defers-approval-of-ovp-s-2025-budget-anew-1402">READ: House panel defers approval of OVP&#x27;s 2025 budget anew</a></div><div><strong>CONG. CO REPLIES</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4LyEM3Sf1nk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong>Reacting to Duterte’s accusations, Co said it is impossible for him to control the budget for DepEd.</div><p>“Unang-una po ang miyembro po ng Appropriations is around 139, ang Vice-chair po is around 56, ang Congressman po is 300, mayroon po tayong mga Senador na 24, mayroon pong miyembro ng bi-cameral conference committee after the budget deliberation ng House and Senate, mayroon pa pong bi-cam na mag-uusap ang dalawang- upper chamber and lower chamber almost 30 po ang nag-aattend diyan in public,” he told reporters.</p><p>“So, hindi po totoo iyan, kung nagagawa niya po iyan sa Davao, sa confidential fund na lustayin in 11 days, na ang P2.6 o ang P2.9 billion kayang-kaya niya din po yang gawin kapag siya po ang naka-upo at ang kanyang mga pananakot sa aming mga Kongresista, hindi na po ito dapat palagpasin,” Co said, adding the committee will be releasing a more detailed answer at a later time.</p><p>The Commission on Audit (COA) earlier reported that the DepEd was able to build only 192 out of 6,379 classrooms “due to realignments because of modifications in the projects’ design.”</p><p>“A total of 4,391 classrooms are still under construction, and 550 are yet to undergo various stages of procurement,&quot; the COA annual audit report for fiscal year 2023 read.</p><p>The DepEd had a hard time completing classrooms because there were changes in the list of projects, Duterte said in her recent interview.</p><p>“Kasi may pabago bago sa listahan ng DPWH kasi hindi kami ang gumawa ng listahan,” she said.</p><p>“Hindi natin masosolve ang classroom backlog kung ganito ang nangyayari,” she said.</p><p>Meantime, the COA also noted that the DepEd sought to repair and rehabilitate nearly 8,000 classrooms, but state auditors found only 208 were completed.</p><p>Duterte blamed the House anew, saying that the same scheme happened in the 2024 budget.</p><p>“Ang ginawa ngayong 2024, inattach nila ang listahahan kung saan gagawin ang mga classroom construction worth P17 billion,” she said.</p><p>“Kung hahanapin mo sa papel, kinuha nila ang repairs ng classrooms so ang naiwan sa repairs ay P1 billion,” she said.</p><p>Several senators spotted the discrepancy and tried to remedy the situation, but the allocation was reverted to the House’s adjusted computation after the bicameral conference, Duterte said.</p><p>“Hindi ko na kailangan ng witness kasi makikita ninyo sa papel,” she said.</p><p>“Dumating ang bicam, walang nangyari dahil ang nasusunod doon ay si Cong. Zaldy Co at si Cong Martin Romualdez,” she said.</p><p>“Kahit yung mga congressman, nakikita nila yung problema ng ginawa nilang pag-attach ng listahan sa budget,” she said.</p><p>For Co, the COA reports are enough to back up their questions regarding the budget of Duterte&#x27;s office.</p><p>&quot;So yung mga sinasabi po natin, lumabas na po sa COA. Ilang beses po iyang audit observation memo, notice of disallowance- bago ka po dumating sa notice of disallowance sa AOM pa lang po nakita na po natin iyan,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Sinubukan po natin iyan (and) last year pang tignan pero hindi po iyan nakikita noong 2022 malaki na po hindi pa po nagkakaganito ang sitwasyon hinihingi na po iyan ng Kongreso dahil masyado na pong sobrang laki ang confidential fund na hinihingi niya. Not only that at other services so, yun lang po,&quot; Co added.</p><p>Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong also asserted that decisions at the House of Representatives on the budget of the national government are made by a majority vote. He called VP Duterte&#x27;s claim &quot;unreal&quot; and &quot;unimaginable&quot;.</p><p>&quot;It is unfair to say the least… that’s a misplaced argument to put it that way, because we know that the budget is prepared by the executive branch,&quot; Alonto said. </p><p>&quot;To assign that power to two single persons, to me, is unimaginable and unreal… We always value the very simple truth in exercising the powers of the state through legislation and that the majority decides, because that is the very basic definition of a democracy. No person can decide on his own how we go about with the budget,&quot; he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Vice President Sara Duterte accused several House leaders of "meddling" with the Department of Education’s budget for the construction of classrooms, saying this was among the reasons why she stepped down from her post as Education chief.</p>

Vice President Sara Duterte accused several House leaders of "meddling" with the Department of Education’s budget for the construction of classrooms, saying this was among the reasons why she stepped down from her post as Education chief.