Vice President Sara Duterte responded strongly to Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel after the lawmaker questioned how the Department of Education (DepEd) utilized its confidential funds during Duterte’s tenure as Secretary.
In his presentation, Manuel highlighted the methods employed by the DepEd, claiming that the funds were sourced from various units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and were used for activities such as youth leadership summits and information education campaigns.
In response, Vice President Sara Duterte accused Manuel, a member of the Makabayan bloc, of having ties to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Manuel also inquired whether the DepEd had submitted an accomplishment report for the 2023 confidential funds to the Senate and the Office of the Speaker. The Vice President did not address this question.
Manuel emphasized that VP Sara should not evade these questions, pointing out that it was during her time that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and DepEd began receiving confidential and intelligence funds, which were previously nonexistent.
VP Sara reiterated that her attendance at the budget briefing was to present the national budget for the coming year.