VP Sara Duterte faces pressure to resign as DepEd chief amid family feud

Vice President Sara Duterte faces the formidable challenge of stepping down from her post as Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary amid her seemingly continuing silence on the verbal assaults leveled by her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, against his successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua, who made the provocation on Saturday, said the VP should show some "decency" by resigning as DepEd chief for keeping mum on the dirty allegations his father relentlessly throws at Marcos.

"Her family unleashed a barrage of insults and attacks directly to the President and yet she does nothing and is still enjoying the perks of being part of the official family," Chua stressed.

"She should draw the line instead of pretending to be a full partner of the President."

Former president Duterte earlier this week made clear that he is not against Marcos, a stark contrast from his previous statements where he was quoted strongly criticizing the leadership of his successor.

The tough-talking Duterte recently called Marcos a "crybaby" for counting on the United States' support in handling geopolitical issues with China concerning the hotly contested West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The "ad hominem" remark of the former president was his latest insinuation against Marcos, adding to a series of past attacks, including accusing him of being "bangag" or stoned, a "drug addict," and having foreign trips or state visits merely for leisure.

The Duterte clan has openly expressed dissent on the Marcos administration's policies and has criticized the President for such acts.

In January, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte told Marcos to resign if he does not have love and aspirations for the Philippines.

Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte, meanwhile, said the Marcos administration's policies on WPS are a demonization of China.

The VP has yet to issue a statement on the escalating hostilities between the Philippines and China over the WPS since assuming office in June 2022, but Marcos jumped on her defense saying it's not her role even as the DepEd chief to talk about Beijing.

Chua, however, posits that now is the time to hold the Duterte family accountable for their misgivings and the VP for remaining passive.

"VP Duterte has been woefully silent as our sovereignty and national patrimony in the West Philippine Sea and EEZ have been challenged with ship blockades and aggressive maneuvers against our fisherfolk, Coast Guard, BFAR (Bureau Of Fisheries And Aquatic Resources), and NAMRIA (National Mapping and Resource Information Authority)," Chua said.

"She cannot have the best of both worlds by being a fence sitter while her family and their allies challenge the authority and mandate of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr while having little to show for in terms of substantive results at the Department of Education, where she is Secretary," he further lamented.

The lawmaker also hit out at the VP over the so-called Catch-Up Fridays at DepEd schools, which he deemed "a waste of time with no real results to show."

"Learning deficits from the pandemic are worsened by the continuing resort to modules and online classes which were ineffective during the pandemic and are still ineffective now," Chua averred.