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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Provide complete answers,' Teacher-solon Castro tells VP Duterte on confidential funds issue

'Provide complete answers,' Teacher-solon Castro tells VP Duterte on confidential funds issue

Published Sep 13, 2023 01:31 pm

At A Glance

  • ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro is urging Vice President Sara Duterte to address the issues head on and provide complete answers to the questions about her alleged spending of P125 million confidential funds in just 19 days last year.

20230913_210436.jpgVice President Sara Duterte (left), ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (Facebook, Rep. Castro's office)

Stop hurling pot shots and just answer the issues directly.

This, in a nutshell, was House Deputy Minority Leader ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro's message to Vice President Sara Duterte Wednesday, Sept. 13 amid their ongoing tit-for-tat.

"Instead of taking ad hominem pot shots at those who question her, we urge the Vice President to address the issues head-on and provide complete answers to the questions posed by myself and others regarding her confidential funds," said Castro, a member of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives.

Castro says that while she is neither a lawyer nor auditor--something that Duterte herself had raised--she is "a teacher and an elected member of the House carrying out my sworn duty to hold officials of government accountable for how they spent the people's money".

"The questions I have posed on the Vice President's spending of P125 million in unauthorized confidential funds in the span of 19 days in 2022 have been raised after careful study and due diligence," the veteran congresswoman said.

Castro added that she "was prepared to raise them during the budget hearing but the Vice President chose to avail of the parliamentary courtesy extended her by the majority and refused to take any questions".

She further said that the public has the right to know how the Vice President spent P125 million in confidential funds in just 19 days.

Vice President Duterte is the concurrent Department of Education (DepEd) secretary.

On Tuesday, the Vice President said she has "no respect" for Castro.

Related Tags

act teachers party-list Confidential funds Sara Duterte FRANCE CASTRO
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