VICE President Sara Duterte must back with evidence her claims that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is responsible for the recent shooting at the Banga National High School in South Cotabato, a former lawmaker said Monday.
The challenge was issued by former Surigao del Norte 2nd District representative Robert Ace Barbers, who said pinning the blame on the administration must not be loosely done unless there is hard proof.
“If you make a statement like that, what is your basis? What is your evidence?” Barbers said in Filipino at the sidelines of Duterte’s impeachment trial.
“We cannot start solving this problem if we keep pointing fingers,” he added.
Three students died in the Sept. 18 shooting.
Duterte pointed to Marcos’ purported prejudice for “political consolidation over fundamental governance” for compromising the protection of the Filipino youth.
The present leadership also “failed the victims and survivors of the South Cotabato tragedy. Countless more Filipino children remain at risk of becoming casualties of this government’s incompetence and neglect,” the vice president said.
“What is the reason for attributing this to the current administration? This is a serious matter,” Barbers said.
Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong echoed Barbers’ remarks and urged public officials not to politicize the tragedy or exploit the grief of victims’ families by assigning blame without basis, pointing out that such incidents are not limited to the country.
“This isn’t just happening in the Philippines; it’s happening all over the world,” he said.
Instead of accusations, what should be given is support to the ongoing investigation and the affected families, while helping schools identify students who may need assistance.
“Let us not exploit the pain and grief of the victims by pointing the finger at the wrong person or assigning guilt or blame to the wrong individual. After all, the investigation makes the evidence clear — evidence held by the police investigators,” Adiong said.
“This is a very serious matter and it requires a very serious discussion,” he added.
In her statement Monday, Duterte accused the administration of failing to ensure safe and peaceful communities, saying its focus on political survival and consolidation had come instead of meaningful action to maintain order.
“The Marcos administration has failed the victims and survivors of the South Cotabato tragedy,” Duterte said.
She added that more Filipino children remained at risk because of what she described as the government’s incompetence and neglect.
