Two lawmakers at the House of Representatives are calling on Vice President Sara Duterte to address the reported P5.6 billion in wasted food supplies during her time as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega dismissed Duterte’s claims of politically motivated attacks, urging her to focus on the issue of accountability instead. They emphasized the failure of the program to provide essential nutrition to students.
The Commission on Audit’s (COA) 2023 report highlighted serious lapses in the program, including moldy, insect-infested nutribuns, rotting food, and mislabeled items, depriving students in areas like Aurora, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental, Iligan, and Quezon City of proper nutrition.
“It is better for Vice President Duterte to face the truth… As the leader of DepEd then, she should have ensured that the implementation of the project would be correct. This is clearly a command responsibility. This is not a matter of politics, but of the proper use of public funds,” Khonghun said.
Ortega echoed the sentiment, highlighting the Marcos administration’s commitment to helping the poor through initiatives like the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF). Recently, the BPSF delivered P1.2 billion in services and aid to 250,000 beneficiaries in Davao City.
“These are the types of programs making a real difference,” Ortega said of the BPSF drive. “The administration is bringing tangible relief to struggling families. This is also reflected in the recent drop in inflation,” he added.
Khonghun reiterated that the issue is not political but a matter of transparency and accountability, calling on Duterte to address the feeding program’s failures and ensure proper oversight in disbursing public funds in the future.
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