Malaking palaisipan para kay House Assistant Majority Leader at Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon ang sunud-sunod na pambabatikos ni Vice President Sara Duterte sa gobyerno ng noon ay kaalyado at dating running mate nitong si President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ilang linggo makaraan itong umalis sa Gabinete bilang dating kalihim ng Department of Education (DepEd).
“Don’t be ungrateful to the government, Madam VP. Anyway, it’s government – whose lifeblood (taxes) is sourced from taxpayers’ hard-earned money – that has been responsible for paying the salaries of your nearly 400 bodyguards,” pahayag ni Bongalon kay Duterte.
Kabilang sa mga binabatikos ng Bise Presidente ang hindi umano tamang paggastos ng pondo ng DepEd, na hindi raw nagawang resolbahin ni Duterte dahil sa kawalan ng suporta mula sa pamahalaan.
“Why are we hearing all these only now? It only shows what kind of politician she is. She will make it appear that she’s an ally if it will only suit her interests, then attack when she no longer needs the use for it. She has just shown her true colors,” sabi ni Bongalon.
Ayon kay Bongalon, kung alam pala ng Bise Presidente ang mga problema sa DepEd, dapat na gumawa ito ng paraan para masolusyunan ang suliranin sa dalawang taong pamumuno nito sa kagawaran at hindi iyong nanahimik na lamang para mambatikos lamang ngayon.
“Show some humility, Ms. VP! Your complaints could have been addressed, and they could have resulted in more productive endeavors if you had raised them early on. Don’t make government your punching bag,” mensahe ni Bongalon kay Duterte.
“Did she even help our overburdened and overworked public school teachers? The hands of public school teachers are full; the last thing they need is an additional burden on their shoulders,” ani Bongalon. “I don’t even think the ratio per student class, along with the heavy administrative work of teachers, have been reduced.”
Ayon kay Bongalon, nananatili pa ring problema ng DepEd—na pinamumunuan na ngayon ni Secretary Sonny Angara—ang mahabang oras ng pagtuturo ng mga guro, mataas na teacher-student ratio, santambak na administrative tasks, oportunidad sa promotion, at tamang kompensasyon, na dapat daw ay sinolusyunan ni Duterte sa nakalipas na dalawang taon.
@Sha Soriano