The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has expressed approval following Vice President Sara Duterte’s resignation from her role as head of the Department of Education (DepEd).
ACT described Duterte’s departure as “one thorn less in the side of the teachers and the education sector.”
In a statement on Wednesday, ACT Chair Vladimer Quetua criticized Duterte for failing to address the core issues in the education sector. “She has not resolved any of the problems of education, instead incessantly Red-tagged ACT for our demands for more teachers and classrooms,” Quetua said.
Quetua further highlighted Duterte’s lack of support for teachers’ welfare, stating, “She has never sided with our call for a salary increase and better benefits, instead scrambling to secure confidential and intelligence funds for her own political ends.”
Quetua also suggested that Duterte’s resignation from her Cabinet post reflects a growing rift with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “Whoever replaces her has a big mess to clean up, but we have learned not to place our hopes on politicians and government officials,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition called on the President to appoint a non-politician or someone not actively involved in partisan politics as the next education secretary.