Sara brands secret fund critics ‘enemies of peace’

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has broken her silence on the confidential fund spending controversy by taking a swipe at critics of her confidential fund, saying they are “enemies of peace.”

“Listen to everything that is being said around you and remember, whoever opposes confidential funds opposes peace. Whoever opposes peace is an enemy of the people,” Duterte said in a speech delivered on Wednesday.

“Anyone who attacks or undermines funds allocated for peace and order is naturally assumed to have insidious motivations. Such actions go against the protection and well-being of our citizenry. Those who seek to compromise the security and development of our nation jeopardize the very fabric of our society and hinder our progress,” she said.

While Duterte sits as co-vice chairperson of the government’s controversial anti-insurgency task force, critics have been questioning why she had sought confidential funds to bankroll anti-insurgency programs instead of key projects of her offices that would have benefitted the poor and the
 education system.

In response to such criticisms, Duterte noted that the Department of Education’s membership in the Anti-Terrorism Council and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict “exemplify the department’s unwavering commitment to the protection and well-being of our learners, personnel, and other stakeholders.”

The concurrent education secretary, Duterte has been facing backlash over confidential fund allocation and spending of the Office of the Vice President, DepEd and Davao City when she was still mayor.

Traffic stopped for VIP?

Duterte trended on social media platforms for the wrong reasons on Thursday after her convoy allegedly snarled traffic along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

A video of the incident, documented by a netizen, showed motorists at a standstill along Commonwealth as a police vehicle blocked vehicles at an intersection.

The netizen who took the video approached a policeman and asked him for an explanation. “Wait a while, a VIP will pass,” the police officer said in Filipino. When asked who was the VIP, the police officer said VP. The lawman further said yes when asked if he was referring to Duterte.

“The convoy will just pass, it will cross. We will open in just a moment,” the police officer said in Filipino.

The netizen then informed stranded motorists that the person who was causing traffic was Duterte. “VP Sara will pass so we must stop. Let’s stop because VP Sara will pass, safe regards,” the netizen shouted in Filipino, which elicited laughter from the motorists. It is unclear when the incident exactly happened.

Duterte is denying that she was in[1]volved in the controversial traffic closure in Commonwealth Ave. and is demanding an apology from the police officer who identified her in the incident and his superiors.

“(I) did not ask QCPD and will never ask government agencies, including law enforcement bodies, to carry out actions that would inconvenience the public or cause them harm,” she said.

In a statement, Duterte also demanded an apology from the police officer and the QCPD director for inconveniencing the motorists in the busy thoroughfare. She wants the city police to hold accountable the person who took the video.

“It is also expected for QCPD to rectify this error and publicly disclose the VIP involved in the road closure,” she added.

Quezon City traffic cop relieved

The policeman, identified only as Sergeant Pantallano of the QCPD Station 14, was relieved by the station commander, Lt. Col. May Genio, and probed for pos[1]sible administrative liability.

Station 14 and Pantallano apologized, attributing it to “misleading information he overheard” that Duterte was about to pass.

“We would like to apologize for the inconvenience we have brought to the motoring public due to the stopping of the traffic flow along Commonwealth westbound,” the police station said.

“It appears that our policeman over[1]reacted when he stopped the traffic for a few minutes,” the station declared in a statement. “Accordingly, Sgt. Pantallano mistakenly heard the word VP, hence he decided to clear the traffic as a sign of courtesy and security, when in fact, based on records, VP Sara Duterte has no engagement in that particular area.”

“We assure the public that this incident will not happen again,” the station said. Pantallano issued a separate apology in Filipino, saying he thought a VIP was about to pass through Commonwealth.

Genio stressed that it was the netizen who had mentioned the name of Duterte — Gilbert Bayoran, Emmanuel Tupas, Edith Regalado