VICE President Sara Duterte yesterday dismissed Malacañang’s claim that she was a “complete failure” as education secretary, saying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. tried to dissuade her from resigning from the Cabinet last year.
Duterte, who was interviewed in the Netherlands where her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, is detained, said Marcos tried to persuade her to stay when she tendered her resignation in June 2024.
“He tried to ask me to stay, tapos sabi ko, ayoko na (and I said, I don’t want). And then ang sunod niyang ginawa, in-offeran niya ako, ‘May gusto ka ba na posisyon?’ Sabi ko, wala akong gustong posisyon (the next thing he did was ask me, ‘Is there any position you want?’ I said, I didn’t want any position),” she told reporters.
She said the Chief Executive then asked her if she could help campaign for the administration’s senatorial candidates in coming 2025 midterm elections.
“Sabi ko, pag-iisipan ko pero wala pa akong plano para sa 2025 midterm elections ng senators (I said, I’ll think about it but I still didn’t have plans for the 2025 midterm elections of senators),” she said.
Palace Spokesman Claire Castro earlier said whatever mess the VP had left behind at the DepEd is now being cleared and resolved by Education Secretary Sonny Angara, among them the 1.5 million gadgets, laptops, and other teaching materials that were left unused since 2020, which were finally updated, fixed and now being used.
She was reacting to the Vice President, who, during a recent visit to Kuwait, said the Philippines is lagging behind other countries in terms of education as the country remains stuck in a “paper and pencil” situation.
The younger Duterte said that the Philippines takes a long time to catch up with other countries that are more modern, where students are already learning about robotics and coding, and children start learning how to read at ages three or four.
Reacting to Castro, the Vice President said the President would not have asked her to stay in the cabinet if she was a “complete failure” as education secretary.
“Hindi ‘yun actions ng taong tumitingin as failure ako. Action ‘yun ng taong tumitingin na kailangan niya ‘yung trabaho ko. So, hindi ko alam saan nangagaling ‘yung sinasabi nilang failure ako sa Department of Education Secretary (Those are not the actions of someone who thinks I’m a failure. Those are the actions of someone who needs me. So, I don’t know where those allegations that I am a failure as DepEd Secretary are coming from),” she said.
The Vice President also claimed that the President reeked of alcohol the morning she tendered her resignation.
“Amoy alak siya at 10:30 in the morning. Doon ko na-confirm ‘yung desisyon ko na mag-resign. So, hindi ako ang failure. Siguro, ang failure is ‘yung 10:30 pa lang ng umaga, amoy alak ka na (He smelled of alcohol at 10:30 in the morning. That’s when I confirmed my decision to resign. So, I’m not the failure. Maybe the failure is smelling like alcohol as early as 10:30 in the morning),” she said.
‘FAKE NEWS’
Castro said it is difficult to trust the claims of someone who has been known as a source of fake news and who is trying to force the President out of office so she could replace him.
“Mahirap nang paniwalaan ang mga kwento ng madalas na nagiging source ng fake news…Madali sa kanilang gumawa ng kwento at propaganda (It is difficult to trust the stories of someone who has been a frequent source of fake news…it is easy for them to make up stories and propaganda),” she said.
She recalled that the Vice President had been connected with a fake police report linking First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos to the death of a businessman while in the United States and the fake video of someone who looks like President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., while supposedly sniffing a substance.
She also said that the Vice President’s father had once claimed that they are experts in planting evidence or sowing intrigues.
Castro believes that all the remarks of the Vice President are in her interests.
“Lahat ng kwento niya ay para siraan ang pangulo dahil nais niyang pababain ito sa pwesto at siya ang maging pangulo. ‘Makasariling hangarin’ (All her stories are meant to discredit the President because she wants him to step down and for her to become the president. ‘Selfish goal.’),” she said.
Duterte had initially dismissed the claims of Castro that she was a complete failure as an education secretary, citing that if it were true, the President should not have asked her to reconsider her resignation. – With Jocelyn Reyes
