ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (PPAB)

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro is calling for a thorough investigation into allegations that former Department of Education (DepEd) undersecretary Epimaco Densing III asked lawmakers for kickbacks in exchange for approving the construction of school facilities in their respective districts.

"If these allegations hold true, it is essential that we conduct a full-scale investigation to uncover the truth behind these claims,” Castro said in a statement on Friday, Oct. 18.

During Thursday’s House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing, Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel claimed that Densing solicited commissions worth as much as 18 percent of the project’s contract price.

According to Pimentel, the former DepEd official demanded a bribe in return for the release of funds already allocated for school building projects in his district.

Densing was appointed by then-DepEd secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte to oversee programs concerning school infrastructure and facilities. He was also a former chief of staff of the DepEd.

Read more:

'Parang nagbebenta ng isda': Pimentel accuses Densing of soliciting kickbacks for school building projects

Castro, a deputy minority leader, stressed the need to investigate the allegation to ensure accountability and “uphold the standards of public service” within the DepEd.

She has likewise urged her colleagues in Congress to support her call to “uplift the morale of teachers and students".

"We owe it to our educators, students, and the entire nation to ensure that the education sector is free from corruption and malfeasance,” the congresswoman said.

The teacher-solon stressed that DepEd--which plays a critical role in shaping the future of the country’s youth--“must remain untainted by corruption”.

Castro points out that the education sector is inundated with perennial problems, such as the lack of classrooms—with the latest figures suggesting that the country lacks 150,000 classrooms.

“Kaya hindi dapat ito nababahiran ng korapsyon dahil essential need ito sa edukasyon, tapos ganito pa ang nangyayari,” she added.

(That's why it shouldn't be tainted with corruption because this is an essential need in education, and yet this is what's happening.)

Castro noted that Densing’s case is just among the several anomalies that have transpired during Duterte's tenure at DepEd.

“The DepEd under the leadership of Vice President Sara Duterte, had been bastardized and they committed grave betrayal of public trust during their tenure," she added.

Duterte's tenure at DepEd is currently being scrutinized by lawmakers over alleged misuse of funds, low budget utilization, and other irregularities.