Malacañang on Wednesday hit back at Vice President Sara Duterte after she criticized the country’s education system, calling her tenure as Department of Education (DepEd) chief “a complete failure.”
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro reminded Duterte that she had nearly two years to prove her leadership in the agency before stepping down in 2024.
“Binigyan po siya ng pagkakataon, pinagkatiwalaan siya ng Pangulo since 2022 hanggang 2024 para maging DepEd secretary. Dalawang taon halos na siya ay dapat nagtrabaho kung anuman ang kaniyang nirereklamo, dapat natupad na po sana niya ito sa kaniyang panahon,” Castro said during a briefing.
She added that Duterte’s latest comments only reflect her shortcomings as education secretary. “Ang pagtitiwalang ito ay sa kaniyang reklamo ngayon, nagri-reflect lamang na bilang siya ay naging DepEd secretary ay a complete failure,” Castro stressed.
Duterte, speaking in Kuwait, lamented that while other nations are advancing in robotics and coding, the Philippines remains stuck at a “paper and pencil” level of education.
The Vice President resigned in 2024 as DepEd secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, saying she would instead focus on programs and projects under her office.
