KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Teachers have challenged Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro to take a stand on the proposed abolition of "pork barrel" system.
In a statement, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said it is important for public school teachers to know the stand of Luistro since they are in the forefront of teaching children ‘good manners and right conduct.’
ACT secretary-general France Castro said the "pork barrel" system took away funds intended for building additional classrooms, hiring of new teachers in remotest areas, chairs, toilets, and textbooks.
"Instead of giving the fund to the congressmen and women, it should have been directly allocated to the budget of the Department of Education," Castro said.
Castro added, that for fiscal year 2011 to 2012, the funding requirement for the 103,599 estimated gross shortages of teachers, which amounted to P17.18 billion could have closed the gap if the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) was used to fund this component.
Castro said Luistro should heed the call of his fellow La Salle brothers who took a stand and called for pork abolition.
ACT president Benjie Valbuena earlier expressed disgust after Janet Lim-Napoles, alleged mastermind in the P10-billion pork barrel scam, was treated like a ‘hero’ in the midst of disgust and isolation from the people.
"We must not be fooled and be more vigilant… For our students and fellow citizens who are following the issue, how are we going to explain the great twist of a criminal-at-large surrendering to PNoy," Valbuena said.