Teachers’ group backs Sara’s impeachment

MANILA, Philippines — Public school teachers are backing calls for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying revelations at the House of Representatives signal alarming anomalies surrounding her public spending as vice president and former education secretary.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said the public should not be distracted by the Vice President’s “theatrics,” as these were “calculated” to divert attention from the serious corruption allegations about her confidential fund spending.

“ACT strongly supports the demand for accountability and joins the call for the impeachment of Sara Duterte. ACT also urges Congress to abolish all confidential funds, which have become a source of corruption, and to redirect resources toward education and basic social services,” ACT chairman Vladimer Quetua said.

“We will not be swayed by these theatrical diversions. We call on the Congress to prioritize its oversight functions, pursue a thorough and immediate investigation into these serious issues, and back the people’s impeachment calls amid the Duterte camp’s desperate attempts to deflect attention and portray themselves as victims,” Quetua said.

ACT stressed that the alleged corruption involving Duterte in the two agencies should be dealt with accountability, as teachers and students continue to bear the brunt of severe shortages in public schools.

For its part, the Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) condemned Duterte’s expletive-laced press conference from the House on Saturday and demanded that the Vice President be held accountable.

“The congressional hearings have exposed troubling irregularities, including falsified accomplishment reports with fictitious names and signatures, blatant violations of COA (Commission on Audit) regulations, and alleged bribery schemes within the Department of Education (DepEd),” it said.

“We call on all educators, students, and education workers to remain vigilant and united in demanding full accountability. The Duterte dynasty’s attempt to portray themselves as victims while systematically plundering public resources must be exposed and opposed,” it added.

Grounds for impeachment

The House of Representatives’ committee on good government and public accountability has found many grounds for the filing of an impeachment complaint against Duterte, committee chairman and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said yesterday.

In an interview with dzBB, Chua said that none of his colleagues in Congress has so far attempted to file the impeachment case against the Vice President.

He said that the recent statement made by Duterte, where she threatened to have President Marcos assassinated, was “disturbing” coming from the second highest official of the land.

“Definitely, the statement that she unleashed is disturbing. It is not befitting a vice president. We are officials of the government. We should be careful with words that we state, especially the second highest official of the country,” Chua said when asked if Duterte’s statement can be used as grounds for filing an impeachment case against her.

“She should have thoroughly thought it over first, our Vice President, before she stated those words,” he added.

Chua said his committee has yet to conclude its investigation into the P612.5 million confidential fund that was allegedly misused by Duterte in the Office of the Vice President (P500 million) and the Department of Education (P112.5 million) during her stint as its secretary.

“If there is ground for the filing of impeachment, I said yes. There are grounds. We saw it during the hearings of the committee. But whether it will push through, that, I cannot answer yet,” he added.

Chua said that the grounds for the filing of an impeachment complaint against Duterte include betrayal of public trust and corruption.

“That is the reason why we are giving her the opportunity to answer all the allegations against her. She should answer all the allegations that have never been explained yet. For example, the P15 million that was used by the DepEd in the Youth Leaders Summit which they cannot explain. It was spent in 11 days,” he said.

“There are many questions. There are many issues. They are given the chance to answer them. Who knows if they have a logical answer for this. Why did they rent a safehouse worth P1 million per day, for eleven days? Where is the location?” Chua said.

He said the Vice President also has to explain to the committee if receipt signatory “Mary Grace Piattos” exists or is a made-up name.

“They have to explain also who is Kokoy Villamin, one of the signatories of acknowledgment receipts. Same name, but different persons. We are looking at all of that with grounds,” Chua said.

He said that their investigation is “in aid of legislation.”

“There are many loopholes in the law. One of the bills that I want to file is the limitation of release of confidential funds to government agencies that are involved in intelligence gatherings only,” Chua said.

He hinted that his committee may conclude today its investigation on the alleged misuse of confidential funds at the OVP, and at DepEd when Duterte was still secretary