Mayor Sara Duterte delivers her State of the City Address on October 2, 2018. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO
DAVAO CITY - Mayor Sara Duterte called members of the local chapter of the Alliance of Concerned Teacher (ACT) as “terrorists, sympathizers of terrorists, and liars” as she refuted their claims that the city government was not giving any subsidy to the teaching and non-teaching personnel of public schools.
In her statement posted on her Instagram account Monday, the feisty mayor said the city gave gave them gift checks worth P2,000 each in 2016 and 2017 and that she can provide copies of the budget, pictures of the distribution, and liquidation with all their signatures.
ACT-Davao City claimed in its October 6 social media post that Davao did not provide any support to public school workers unlike in other cities in the country. It named the cities giving such benefit and the corresponding amounts.
Duterte asked the group how they could have the temerity to “lie” when the city had to go through a tough process just to get the approval for the release of such checks.
“If I can only expel you outside of Davao City,” she said.
ACT-Davao City president Reynaldo Pardillo apologized to the mayor if their post had offended her and said they are thankful for the gift checks.
But he said there was miscommunication between her and the group. He said they were referring to “cash allowances” and not gift checks.
Duterte questioned the sincerity of the group saying she had waited for their proposal.
“Yet you always keep missing opportunities for unity, because you are never sincere,” she said.
On October 1, the mayor told ACT to submit another proposal that is “reasonable, acceptable, and doable.”
“To allot P34,000 per year per DepEd (Department of Education) employee is impossible for the City Government of Davao,” she said.
Pardillo said they submitted their proposal to Duterte on October 5. He said they had lowered their demand for a monthly allowance from P2,000 to P1,500 and quarterly rice subsidy from P2,500 to a half sack.
He said they appreciated the mayor’s statement to lobby for the salary increase of teachers in Congress.
Duterte said the DepEd must dismiss “terrorists from their ranks.”
“How ironic for government to pay public money to people who work against the government. Congress should expel the members of Makabayan bloc, the Partylist system is the milking cow of terrorists,” she said.
Duterte also attacked the National Telecommunications Commission for giving a permit to Radyo ni Juan which aired these allegations against the city government.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2018/10/mayor-duterte-says-teachers-group-lied-on-subsidy-calls-them-terrorists/
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) is a Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) sectoral front active in the educations sector. ACT is a member of the main CPP multisectoral umbrella front organization the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-New Patriotic Alliance). A political spinoff from ACT is the ACT Teachers Partylist that represents teachers and education workers. ACT Teachers Party List is a member of the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan (MAKABAYAN-Patriotic Coalition of the People) that serves as the umbrella front organization for some 12 CPP-associate political parties. Members of MAKABAYAN include the following partylist political parties: Bayan Muna (People First), Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) , Anakpawis (Toiling Masses), GABRIELA (General Assembly Binding Women for Integrity, Reform, Equality, Leadership and Action) Women's Party, Kabataan (Youth), Katribu (Tribesmen), Migrante (Migrants), Akap-bata (Childcare), COURAGE (Confederation for Unity Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees), Piston (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide- Unity of Drivers Associations and Operators Nationwide), Kalikasan (Nature), Aking Bikolnon (Bicolano People).
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