MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday said that Vice President Sara Duterte’s comment that the Philippine educationsystem was a “complete failure” partly was a reflection on her, being a former head of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Duterte blasted the present administration for getting the country stuck with “paper and pencil” learning modalities, poorly behind other countries. Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro clapped back by saying Duterte was partly
to blame for the sector’s shortcomings.
“She was given an opportunity. The President trusted her as DepEd Secretary from 2022 to 2024. She should have
put in work in those two years,” Castro said in Filipino at a Palace briefing.
“Whatever she is complaining about now should have been addressed during her tenure. Her complaints now mirror her leadership as a former DepEd secretary, a complete failure,” she added. The Palace official said that it was now Duterte’s successor, Secretary Sonny Angara cleaning up the mess she left behind in the agency. “Our students, teachers, and teaching need not worry. DepEd Secretary Angara is cleaning up whatever dirt was left in the past. If we are only talking about modernization, those 1.5 million gadgets, laptops and other teaching materials which have not been utilized since 2020 is now being resolved. Secretary Angara has been fixing the issue since 2024,” Castro said.
