Inday Sara and the militarization of DepEd

Aside from allegedly profiling ACT members and other teachers who are union members, palpably as a preparatory step to ultimate red-tagging, the DepEd has appointed two retired generals to sub-cabinet level positions: former major general Nolasco Mempin and former brigadier general Noel Baluyan as undersecretary and assistant secretary respectively. Bypassing career educators, why is DepEd, a civilian agency, being packed with military officials?

Aside from pushing for the revival of ROTC and PMT, the DepEd secretary who is rumored to be preparing to become the next president, has demanded and received a large intelligence fund for both the Office of the Vice President and her office as DepEd secretary. We know she is a reserve colonel of the armed forces having graduated from the National Defense College of the Philippines. As early as January 2022 when BBM and then mayor Sara Duterte were still campaigning, Marcos already revealed she wanted to head the Department of National Defense. Well, the close advisers of BBM, like Secretary JPE must have advised the president not to give that very strategic and sensitive post to a potential political rival. That was from Sun Tzu's ‘The Art of War’.

From all foregoing proven facts, it can be safely theorized the vice president has a very strong militaristic and martial law inclination. Why did she ask for the DND portfolio if she did not have some hidden agenda that may lean towards a very strong shift to the right, or the rightist theory of governance that focuses on amassing powers in the commander-in-chief with tendencies to silence opposition and repress dissent? Her consistent penchant for huge budgets for intelligence funds is an indication she wants some dossier on suspected left-leaning teachers. That is why the progressive members of the House, or whatever ragtag group remains of their former strength, has mounted an organized resistance to the DepEd memorandum ordering the listing of union members.

To my mind, the vice president is more rightist than the president. BBM never intended to dominate the DND the way he is dominating the Department of Agriculture. The president is more interested in food particularly in rice and sugar as well as onion imports than in buying weapons and fighter planes. The vice president is behaving as a potential strongman or strongwoman. Her experience with the sheriff in Davao, with due respect, should give us a clear sign of the things to come if she becomes president. Well, Filipinos usually love to see strong women who dare to stand up to men and assert themselves. What Sara did to the sheriff endeared her to the urban settlers in Davao who were about to be ejected by the sheriff. She was the lady knight in shining armor.

Nothing wrong with strong women, we liked Gabriela Silang and Tandang Sora. We idolized the mother of Dr. Jose Rizal, Teodora Alonso, who was made to walk by the Spanish guardia civil from Biñan to Calamba under the heat of the sun. Strong women inspire other women as well as men. Strong women tend to work together and demonstrate their powers to make men look stupid, inept, or cowardly. I understand why Inday Sara is close to GMA. They are both strong women and they overshadow their husbands too. Inday is the daughter of President Digong who was called by her father as "isog". GMA is the strongest among former president Diosdado Macapagal's four children. She outshone her elder sister Cielo and her two elder brothers Arturo and Diosdado Jr.

Going back to DepEd, why are the many career CESO officers being bypassed for outsiders who aren’t educators but military men? I know many competent regional directors, division superintendents, district supervisors, principals, and master teachers. Is this a purposive and department-wide militarization of DepEd? Is this an indication that Inday Sara wants teachers to see that she will not tolerate the progressive and sometimes radical styles of ACT and other militant unions? This kind of stance may be good for DND but never among educators in the academe and scholastic havens. I wonder how the UP activists would look at these strong-arm tendencies of the DepEd secretary.

Paging Etta Rosales and Justice Marvic Leonen who is in the Supreme Court. I remember that even Inday's immediate predecessor, Liling Briones, was an activist herself. During martial law, I, as a former martial law detainee, and a professor for the last 40 years until now, do shudder just to think about all these.