Iginiit ni dating Senador Leila de Lima na dapat magbitiw na umano si Vice President Sara Duterte bilang kalihim ng Department of Education (DepEd) kung magpapatuloy ang hayagan niyang pagtutol sa mga desisyon ng gabinete ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., kung saan miyembro ang ahensya.
Matatandaang ipinahayag ni Duterte nitong Lunes, Disyembre 4, ang pagtaliwas ng kaniyang pananaw sa naging hakbang ni Marcos na bigyan ng amnestiya ang ilang grupo ng mga rebelde, at ang peace talks ng pamahalaan sa National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
Sa kaniya namang X post nito ring Lunes, binigyang-diin ni De Lima na miyembro pa rin ng gabinete si Duterte, at wala umano sa kaniyang “core competence” bilang DepEd chief ang “peace talks.”
“Akin to her preemptive position, re: ICC, the problem with VP Sara's statement against the peace talks is this – She is still member of Cabinet. Peace talks is not within the core competence of her portfolio as DepEd Sec,” ani De Lima.
“She should resign as Deped Sec if she keeps on publicly opposing BBM's Cabinet policy decisions that have nothing to do w/ DepEd.”
“She cannot eat cake and keep it too. She can only go on criticizing BBM's policies if she is no longer member of Cabinet and speaks only as VP,” saad pa niya.