IBINASURA ni House Deputy Majority Leader at Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin ang mistulang reklamador na istilo ni Vice President Sara Duterte nang sabihing may mali umano sa paghawak ng pondo ng gobyerno, partikular noong siya pa ang kalihim ng Department of Education (DepEd).

“It’s clear that DepEd has always received the largest budget. If there were problems, they likely came from a lack of direction and a poor system of implementation,” sabi ni Garin.

“Fingerpointing and blaming others will bring us nowhere. Leadership is all about being captain of the ship,” dagdag pa ng lady solon.

Ayon kay Duterte isa sa mga rason kung bakit siya nagbitiw bilang kalihim ng DepEd ay ang mali umanong paggamit sa pondo ng ahensya na tinangka nitong itama subalit wala siyang nakuhang suporta at walang naging malaking pagbabago.

“If there were issues during VP Sarah’s tenure as DEPED Sec, why didn’t she raise them when she had the power to make changes?” tanong ni Garin.

“It’s easy to claim a lack of support after the fact, but real leadership is about taking action and making a difference when it matters, not after you’ve stepped down,” sabi pa nito.

Iginiit ni Garin ang kahalagahan na magkaroon ng pananagutan sa paggugol ng pondo ng DepEd.

“DepEd had the resources, yet we saw little improvement in key areas like education quality and infrastructure,” dagdag pa nito.

Sa isinagawang oversight meeting sa pondo ng DepEd, sinabi ni Garin na lumalabas na sa panahon ni Duterte sa DepEd ay nakatambak lamang ang mga binili nitong textbook, school furniture, learning material, IT hardware na nagkakahalaga ng bilyun-bilyong piso sa halip na napapakinabangan na sa mga pampublikong paaralan sa mga ito.

“If there was mismanagement, it’s time to own up to it and work on real solutions, not just criticize from the sidelines,” dagdag pa ni Garin.