THUMBED DOWN
THE overwhelming disapproval of college students to Vice President Sara Duterte highlights the purported depth of disrepute she earned among youth and students.
This is according to House Special Committee on Bases Conversion chairman Rep. Jay Khonghun on Wednesday emphasized that Khonghun, in reaction to the latest survey.
The survey, conducted by the Centre for Student Initiatives (CSI), shows that more than eight in 10 Filipino college students — or 84.8 percent — believe that Vice President Sara Duterte should be removed from office.
The sentiment is particularly striking given that many of the current crop of college students experienced her leadership as Secretary of the Department of Education from 2022 to 2024.
In the online survey conducted by CSI from February 28 to March 16 using non-probability sampling, a staggering 1,696 out of 2,000 respondents, or 84.8%, answered yes to the question: “Do you believe Sara Duterte should be removed from office?”
The survey also found that 73.9 percent (1,477 out of 2,000) of the respondents prefer that the impeachment court be convened before the elections in May.
“Makikita po natin sa survey na ito na kahit ang mga estudyanteng malamang naabutan siyang DepEd secretary, naniniwalang dapat na siyang maalis sa pwesto. Bakit, ika n’yo? Malamang dahil hindi rin maganda ang kanyang pamamalakad noon sa DepEd,” Khonghun said.
“Kung sa DepEd pa lang, palpak na ang pamumuno, paano pa ngayon na mas matindi ang mga alegasyon ng katiwalian?” He added.
The impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte includes grave allegations of bribery and corruption during her stint as DepEd Secretary, Khonghun said.
“Kung ganito ang klase ng pamumuno niya sa DepEd, hindi naman kataka-taka kung bakit maraming estudyanteng naniniwalang dapat na siyang matanggal sa pwesto.
Dagdag pa natin d’yan ang usapin na hindi naman talaga hinarap ng bise presidente ang mga problema ng mababang kalidad ng edukasyon, kakulangan sa mga gamit, at iba pang isyu sa DepEd noong termino niya,” he said.
Khonghun also emphasized the importance of listening to the voice of the youth, who experienced firsthand the failures of VP Duterte’s leadership.
“Pakinggan natin ang pulso ng ating kabataan. Sila ang pinaka-apektado sa mga desisyon at pagkukulang ng isang lider na nagkulang sa kanyang tungkulin. Harapin na lamang niya ang mga alegasyon laban sa kanya. Kung wala talaga siyang ginawang masama, bakit siya umiiwas?” Khonghun asked.
