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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Castro blasts VP Duterte in privilege speech: 'Her statements are utter lies'

Castro blasts VP Duterte in privilege speech: 'Her statements are utter lies'

Published Sep 19, 2023 01:17 am

At A Glance

  • Makabayan member ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro stood in plenary Monday, Sept. 18 to deliver a scathing privilege speech against Vice President Sara Duterte.

20230919_085659.jpgACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (left), and Vice President Sara Duterte (Makabayan, Facebook)

Who says that the verbal sparring between the Makabayan bloc and Vice President Sara Duterte is over?

Makabayan member ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro stood in plenary Monday, Sept. 18 specifically to get some punches in on Duterte, who she said had issued "deceptive" statements about her.

"Her statements are utter lies, totally absurd, and malicious," Castro, a House deputy minority leader, said in her privilege speech.

"Wala akong kasong kidnapping at trafficking. Sa ganito bang mga paratang napupunta ang tig-P150 milyon na confidential fund ng DepEd ngayong 2023 at sa 2024? Sa ganitong kasinungalingan ba nauuwi ang spy funds na napunta sa kanya?" said the teacher-solon.

(I neither have kidnapping nor trafficking cases. Will DepEd's confidential funds worth P150 million each for 2023 and 2024 be used this way? Does her spy funds produce this kind of lies?)

There is no love lost between the militant solons and the Vice President, who concurrently serves as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary. Duterte has been a critic of Makabayan even during her days as Davao City mayor.

In recent weeks, Castro and the rest of Makabayan have been prodding the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to explain how it spent P125 million in confidential funds late last year. The particular fund reportedly came from the Office of the President (OP).

"We take note her highly slanderous claim that we and I myself have links to the NPA (New People’s Army) and her admission of unauthorized and imprudent spending of public funds," Castro said. The NPA is the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

"Matagal nang pinasubali ng Comelec (Commission on Elections) ang kasinungalingang ito, at hanggang ngayon ay walang ebidensyang tatayo sa korte na naipapakita ang red-taggers at terrorist-labellers sa amin," she said.

(The Commission on Elections has long denied this lie, and up to now these red-taggers and terrorist-labellers can't produce evidence against us that can stand in court.)

Castro further said that the confidential funds of the DepEd and OVP worth P150 million and P500 million, respectively would have been better off used on the construction of additional classrooms.

Confidential funds can't be audited.

Related Tags

act teachers party-list Sara Duterte FRANCE CASTRO Makabayan bloc
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