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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Castro: P2.679-B Davao confidential funds could've been used for teachers' allowances

Castro: P2.679-B Davao confidential funds could've been used for teachers' allowances

Published Oct 2, 2023 05:53 am

At A Glance

  • The alleged P2.697 billion confidential funds spent by the local government of Davao City between 2016 and 2022 could have been used to fund the allowance of local teachers for over a decade, Makabayan solon ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro said.
  • Vice President Sara Duterte was Davao mayor during that time period.

IMG-2a307cff0f61facfe2af960c667912c1-V.jpgACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (PPAB)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The alleged P2.697 billion confidential funds spent by the local government of Davao City between 2016 and 2022 could have been used to fund the allowance of local teachers for over a decade. 

Makabayan solon ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro had this to say Monday, Oct. 2, as she continued to ask questions on how the funds were used during the period, which coincided with Vice President Sara Duterte's previous two terms as Davao mayor. 

"[The] P2.697 billion which has been designated as a confidential fund from 2016 to 2022 for the mayor of Davao.City, could have been utilized more effectively to benefit the education sector, specifically by providing much-needed support to teachers," Castro said in a statement. 

According to her, the confidential fund could have been used to grant a P1,000 allowance each to approximately 17,000 Davao City teachers for more than 13 years. 

Castro said the funding could have greatly contributed to improving the quality of education by ensuring that teachers had access to essential teaching materials and resources. This could have improved the learning experience of countless students in Davao City. 

 

Incidentally, Oct. 5 is World Teachers' Day.

 

In the same statement, Castro emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in public financial management. She called for concrete steps to ensure that public funds are allocated and utilized efficiently. 

Earlier, the teacher-solon prodded the Commission on Audit (COA) to look into how the Davao government spent the P2.697-billion confidential funds. 

She claimed that the money was "secretly spent” between 2016 to 2022. 

During the just-concluded budget process in the House of Representatives, Castro and the rest of the Makabayan bloc repeatedly called out Vice President Duterte on her supposed questionable spending of P125-million worth of confidential funds in December 2022.

Related Tags

ACT Teachers Partylist Confidential funds FRANCE CASTRO Davao City
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