Malacañang on Wednesday fired back at Vice President Sara Duterte, calling her stint as chief of the Department of Education (DepEd) “a complete failure” after she lamented that the Philippines is lagging behind other countries in terms of education.
Duterte earlier said the country remains at a “paper and pencil” level, while other nations have modernized their education systems.
Palace press officer Claire Castro countered that Duterte had the chance to implement the very reforms she is now demanding.
“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.
“Ang pagtitiwalang ito ay sa kaniyang reklamo ngayon, nagri-reflect lamang na bilang siya ay naging DepEd secretary ay a complete failure,” she added.
Speaking in Kuwait, Duterte said students abroad are already learning robotics and coding, while Filipinos remain trapped in outdated learning methods.
In 2024, Duterte resigned as both DepEd Secretary and Vice Chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). In her resignation letter, she vowed to continue serving the nation through the Office of the Vice President’s programs and projects.
As of press time, Vice President Duterte has not issued a comment on Castro’s statement.