House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio unleashed strong criticism against Vice President Sara Duterte, branding her the “worst DepEd secretary ever” following her remarks on the state of Philippine education.
Duterte, who served as Department of Education chief from June 2022 to July 2024, earlier lamented that the Philippines remains at a “paper and pencil” level while other countries teach robotics and coding to children as young as three or four. She made the statement during the “Hakbang ng Maisug” event in Kuwait on August 15, citing dismal learning outcomes in reading and math.
Tinio hit back, saying Duterte has no right to complain about problems that worsened under her leadership. “Vice President Duterte has the audacity to criticize the education system when she herself is the worst DepEd secretary ever,” he said.
The lawmaker pointed to a Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) report showing that only 17% of the budget for textbooks was spent under her watch. “How can she complain about our students lacking access to modern technology when she couldn’t even ensure they had basic textbooks and learning materials?” Tinio stressed.
He also accused Duterte of prioritizing confidential funds over addressing the learning crisis. “Mas inatupag pa niya ang confidential funds sa DepEd sa halip ang learning crisis. You are definitely the worst DepEd secretary ever!” Tinio declared.
The ACT Teachers representative added that under Duterte’s tenure, school feeding programs reached only 48% implementation while billions in education funds remained unused. “Ang mga batang gutom at walang aklat, paano matututo ng robotics at coding?” he asked.
Tinio concluded that the very statistics Duterte cited about poor literacy rates serve as proof of her own failed leadership, not just of systemic challenges.
