by Daniel Long

 

Vice President Sara Duterte is the most trusted and approved top government official in the country, with a trust rating of 59% and an approval rating of 61% according to Pulse Asia. She is also the top choice for President in 2028, garnering 39% support based on the same survey.

Both her offices — the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) — received “unmodified opinions” from the Commission on Audit (COA) for two consecutive years, the highest audit rating indicating clean and corruption-free reports. Under her leadership, DepEd was also rated the top-performing and most trusted government agency, with an 84% trust rating according to OCTA Research.

A public servant. Army colonel reservist. Lawyer. Mayor. She was elected Vice President with 32 million votes (61%), the highest number in Philippine election history. She also served as DepEd Secretary and Vice Chairperson of the anti-NPA National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

As Mayor of Davao City, she launched the “Peace 911” initiative, which brought essential government services and infrastructure — including schools, roads, bridges, and health centers — to far-flung, NPA-affected areas like Paquibato District. As a result, the city was declared NPA-free within two years. She left Davao debt-free, ranked as the 8th richest city in the Philippines, and consistently one of the safest and cleanest cities in Southeast Asia (#3 according to Numbeo).

As Vice President, her notable achievements include:
• 2 million passengers served through the Libreng Sakay bus program
• 192,000 families assisted through disaster relief operations
• 187,000 trees planted through the Pagbabago Trees Campaign
• 184,000 Pagbabago bags distributed to schoolchildren
• 7,130 beneficiaries of the Magnegosyo Ta’Day livelihood program
• 187,000 recipients of medical and burial assistance
• 16,000 beneficiaries of the Pansarap Bun Project
• 71,001 food bags distributed through the RICE Program

As DepEd Secretary, she initiated:
• 30 straight vacation days without work for teachers
• A new, decongested K-10 curriculum, removing redundant subjects and introducing “Makabansa”, a subject teaching conflict resolution, peace education, and nationalism
• The Telesafe hotline for reporting child s*xual abuse
• The decluttering of classrooms, removing non-essential decorations often paid for by teachers
• Fire and flood insurance coverage for school buildings
• Overtime pay, health, and personal accident insurance for teachers
• The removal of unnecessary administrative tasks so teachers can focus on teaching
Under her leadership, DepEd was the top-performing and most trusted government agency with an 84% trust rating (OCTA).

How about the issues against her?

CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS? Confidential funds are allowed under the law. BBM or the Office of the President is the top spender of CFs (P2B vs. Sara’s P370M). Other agencies like DSWD, PDEA, DILG, DND, and DOJ also manage hundreds of millions in CFs.

P125M IN 11 DAYS? The Office of the President (OP) actually gave her or the Office of the Vice President the CFs late. She requested the funds in August 2022 for the safe implementation of her programs, but OP only authorized the transfer on December 13, 2022. Utilization began on December 20, 2022. The law requires public funds to be spent before the year ends. Eleven days from December 20 is December 31.

LUSTAY/WALDAS/NAKAW OF CFs? The Commission on Audit (COA) has not issued a judgment finding her guilty of plunder. Atty. Gloria Camora from COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Office has testified that the use of CFs is in line with their rules and that she submitted documentary evidence in her liquidation report.

TRANSPARENCY? Confidential funds are called “confidential” for a reason. The law (COA’s Joint Circular No. 2015-01) does not require receipts, nor does it regulate the timing of CF use.

WHY CFs IN THE FIRST PLACE? She wanted to expand her successful campaign against the NPA in Davao nationwide and address issues such as sexual abuse of students, recruitment to NPA terrorism (in 16 NCR public schools), criminality, school shootings, and drug use among personnel and students. DepEd is a prime recruitment target for the NPA, as it has the largest number of government employees (over 810,000) and 6-7 million elementary and high school students. Combating these threats to a safe learning environment requires good intelligence and surveillance. This involves renting safehouses, purchasing information, and deploying spies, which comes at a cost. It would undermine efforts to combat these threats if details about CF usage were made public.

REFUSAL TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT CFs? COA is the proper forum for answering questions about CFs. Congress members are not auditors. The law prohibits public officials from disclosing confidential information publicly. Sara is also facing three cases at the Supreme Court related to the CFs issue. Because of the sub judice rule, which prevents the accused in an ongoing court case from commenting on the matter publicly, she cannot disclose details of her CFs use.

P73M NOTICE OF DISALLOWANCE? A Notice of Disallowance (NOD) is not a judgment finding a public official guilty of stealing funds. It is merely a process within the COA to request additional documentation. Almost all government agencies have been issued Notices of Disallowance.

MARY GRACE PIATTOS? Atty. Gloria Camora of COA clarified that the name is “Piatty,” not “Piattos.” “Mary Grace Piatty” is simply an alias or codename for a real person who is a confidential informant. Many recipients of agencies with CFs use aliases for security reasons, given the sensitivity of intelligence work.

P10M ISANG KAIBIGAN CHILDREN’S BOOK? The book was not for sale, and each copy costs P50 to print. DepEd’s plan was to distribute 200,000 copies (50 x 200,000 = P10,000,000) to school children to address the country’s literacy and reading comprehension crisis. DepEd did not pay for the book’s printing.

FEW CLASSROOMS BUILT? The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), not DepEd, has the mandate to build and repair classrooms.

SILENCE ON THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA ISSUE? It is not the job of the Office of the Vice President or DepEd to comment on foreign affairs – that mandate belongs to the President, who is the chief architect of foreign policy, and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Her silence does not constitute “treason,” as that would only apply in times of war.

TRIP TO GERMANY AMIDST TYPHOON CARINA? BBM or the Office of the President authorized her travel on July 9, 2024, two weeks before Typhoon Carina struck on July 24, 2024. It was not a spontaneous flight.

ZOOM ASSASSINATION THREATS? She never used the words “assassin” or “assassination” in her Zoom press conference. The statement “If I am killed, kill X” was a conditional statement, and an impossible crime, as one cannot commit murder beyond the grave. “Conspiracy to commit murder” is not a crime under Article 8 of the Revised Penal Code because the law only penalizes “conspiracy to commit treason, sedition, or coups.”

“Anyone trying to bring you down is already beneath you.” 

   

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