Charles Teves
On Sunday, Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte referred to the upcoming week-long transport strike as “communist-inspired.”
She stated that it would cause “painful interference” to the DepEd’s efforts to address issues within the education system.
Duterte’s comment was prompted by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers’ (ACT) expressed support for the struggle of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators, who call for public transportation modernization that prioritizes people.
Previously, the ACT had requested that DepEd grant its regional and division offices the authority to suspend classes in areas where the upcoming transport strike would have an impact.
However, Duterte emphasized that DepEd’s current priority is on recovery from learning and not on strike.
“The transport strike is a painful interference in our efforts to provide solutions to the problems besetting our education system and will only exacerbate the learning hardships of our students,” she said.
“ACT should know that a weeklong transport strike, at this critical point in our efforts to remedy learning losses, is a learning disruption,” she added.
Sara Duterte criticized the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), stating that by endorsing the transport strike, the group “only betrays its true colors” and suggests that they “do not really serve the interests of students and teachers.”
“ACT couldn’t care less if our efforts are hampered or if we fail because — as a lover of the useless ideologies espoused by the New People’s Army, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines — ACT’s dream is for our children to remain uneducated and poor,” she said.
Netizens didn’t appreciate Duterte’s “red-tagging” tactics.
It just amazes me how this Vice President never even bothered to listen to the jeepney drivers as to why they are doing the strike. “Communist-inspired” agad? Nasaan ang pang-unawa? I hope jeepney drivers remember this in 2028. She should not be President. https://t.co/1FKOuvavxt
— Kristoffer Pasion (@indiohistorian) March 5, 2023
Your lola rallied against Marcos way back then in Davao… so she was communist-inspired too? https://t.co/QxTKEaQcs4
— simply_clinton (@Simply_Clinton) March 5, 2023
Stupid mo talaga Sara Duterte. Manang mana ka sa tatay mong redtagger. https://t.co/qpWetjcTqu
— JM (@jmblrmn) March 5, 2023
https://twitter.com/joshquising/status/1632161258878418945?s=20
ACT chairperson Vladimer Quetua responded by stating that it was “shameful” for Duterte to use red-tagging tactics instead of addressing the legitimate concerns of teachers and students in light of the upcoming transport strike.
“It is appalling to hear from the secretary, who just admitted a month ago that the government has failed our teachers, her accusation that we aim to keep our students poor and uneducated,” he said.
Quetua has urged Duterte to adopt a more comprehensive outlook when examining and comprehending the circumstances that teachers and learners face and to recognize who education recovery efforts should benefit from.
Michael Poa, a spokesperson for DepEd, previously stated that classes would not be suspended during the upcoming transport holiday organized by public transportation groups. In response, Sara Duterte noted that traditional classroom learning and alternative delivery methods would be utilized during the transport holiday.
In response to the strike intended to protest replacing traditional jeepneys with more environmentally-friendly vehicles, several schools in Metro Manila have declared their plans to switch to online classes from March 6 to 11.
Do watch the whole thread, but I thought this was a very important point to highlight.
Hindi sila tutol o ayaw; plano at suporta ang kailangan. https://t.co/0Fxpw1Vkw7
— Aika Robredo (@aikarobredo) March 5, 2023
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) declared that the deadline for jeepney operators to establish or join cooperatives has been extended to December 31, 2023.
