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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'You were in charge': Solon questions timing of VP Sara's claims of budget mishandling at DepEd 

'You were in charge': Solon questions timing of VP Sara's claims of budget mishandling at DepEd 

Published Aug 9, 2024 07:38 am

At A Glance

  • House Assistant Majority Leader Ako-Biicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon has questioned the timing of Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged budget mishandling during her time as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd). 

FB_IMG_1695371680893.jpgVice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

House Assistant Majority Leader Ako-Biicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon has questioned the timing of Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged budget mishandling during her time as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

“If there were indeed budget issues, why raise them only now? It’s easy to blame others, but real leadership is about finding solutions and taking responsibility,” said Bongalon, a vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations that crafts the annual budget measure.

Duterte recently claimed that the government’s national budget, as detailed in the General Appropriations Act (GAA), has been mishandled, leading to inefficiencies and unresolved issues in various departments.

She specifically mentioned that while she tried to correct these problems during her time at DepEd, she received no support and saw no changes.

But Bongalon, a member of the House "Young Guns" bloc, pointed out that the lady official didn't have such assertions during her two years at the helm at DepEd.

"What's wrong? You never mentioned anything like that before. In fact, it was mostly your undersecretaries who were speaking, making it seem like you weren't aware of what was happening in DepEd," he said.

“You were in charge, yet all we heard were statements from your undersecretaries. It seems like you were disconnected from the actual operations of DepEd,” Bongalon added.

The Bicol lawmaker also highlighted unresolved issues under Duterte’s leadership, particularly the Philippines' poor performance in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

READ ME AGAIN:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/8/wag-na-paulitin-yan-chua-calls-for-heavy-scrutinization-of-ovp-budget

“DepEd had nearly two years to improve our students' proficiency levels, yet we still ranked near the bottom globally. And this happened under your watch, on the very day you resigned as DepEd Secretary,” Bongalon said.

The House leader also referenced other criticisms on DepEd, particularly the department’s reliance on Parents-Teachers Associations to solicit funds for basic classroom needs.

“These should be provided by the agency, not by the parents. This is a clear sign of poor management," Bongalon said.

Vice President Duterte left the DepEd post last July 19 and has since been openly assailing the Marcos administration.

Related Tags

Jil Bongalon Sara Duterte DepEd
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