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After so long of her repeated denial and silence, Vice President and former DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte recently revealed that the P112 million of confidential funds allocated to DepEd in 2023, was used to carry out investigations on past corruption practices within the agency. However, the details remain uncertain. Duterte claimed that they conducted a probe on the controversial P2.4-billion deal for outdated and overpriced laptops that were under former DepEd secretary Leonor Briones. The devices were intended for teachers that taught online classes at the time. The Commission of Audit (COA) flagged the deal in March 2022, and it was soon discovered that the laptops were overpriced by at least P979-million with each costing P58,300. Duterte said that the procurement took place in the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)—not within DepEd—and that they admittedly were not able to blacklist the firms involved. In contrast, former DepEd officials previously claimed that they were unaware how the agency’s confidential funds were spent, contradicting the Vice President’s statement. Additionally, she did not clear up the dubious names that were discovered to be recipients of these funds such as “Amoy Lie,” “Fernan Amuy,” and “Joug De Asim.” If the department was truly serious in its action to investigate corruption, it should not have treated its functions as mere jokes. The COA flagged over 1,500 deficient acknowledgement receipts that had fake names, and the commission further said that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and DepEd under Duterte, submitted documents that had false dates, no names, and unreadable signatories to justify the disbursement of millions of confidential funds. Sara Duterte was repeatedly given chances to explain her side, but she never cooperated. On top of that, she is now telling the public that under her order, she spent millions to conduct an internal probe, a task that should only require the agency to review documents. So, even if she truly did head an investigation, the P112-million used was a waste of public funds and resources, and it begs us to question—where exactly were these large sums spent? Confidential funds are intended for surveillance activities with the purpose of preventing national security threats. Typically, it is within the mandate of the Department of National Defense (DND), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine National Police (PNP). The DepEd, on the other hand, is a civilian agency with a role that revolves around education—not national security. Given the state of the country’s education system, the department has neglected its actual objective, and has only engaged in initiatives with a purpose unknown to the public under Duterte's leadership. The Philippines is facing an educational crisis—millions of students are struggling to read and write; classrooms are congested; children are malnourished—but rather than alleviating these issues during her time as secretary, Duterte set the agency’s already crumbling reputation ablaze. Until now, the Vice President refuses to tell the bigger picture of this matter, and while people are outraged over the recent flood control scandals, the public is still divided over Duterte’s confidential funds. But it is clear as day that the Vice President has not been honest to her constituents regarding her use of public funds, and this fact alone should be enough for us to demand for answers. Unfortunately, there are those that prefer to be loyal towards politicians rather than their own country. On September 21, citizens took to the streets to stand up against plunder and corruption. It was a sign that the people are restless. But at the same time, there should be no exemptions. Duterte, who voiced her own anger against corruption, has no moral ascendency since she herself has her own anomalies. Internet trolls would say that there are other politicians—namely, former Congressman Zaldy Co and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez that have “stolen more.” But that in itself is an admission that Duterte is also a plunderer. Instead of condemning something and tolerating the other, we should hold every one of these people accountable. We are not supposed to protect politicians nor should we act as their sworn defenders because there is nothing to take pride in servitude and blind loyalty. We are fortunate enough to have a say on the country’s future, but any hope of achieving the best for our nation is compromised if we put our standards too low. We are under a system where those who speak with meaning are shunned and pulled out of the spotlight in favor of those with nothing to prove. In the case of Sara Duterte, her streak of lies and refusal to hold herself accountable is a prime example of a lack of principle—a blatant disgrace for someone who deems herself as a “public servant.” The Philippines will continue to decline if we let these plunderers and liars take advantage of us. Are the people not tired of being left in the dark? Are we, as a nation, doomed to be taken advantaged of?