THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers showed solidarity with health workers suffering from exhaustion and pledged to join the latter in holding President Duterte and Health Secretary Franciso Duque accountable for the botched pandemic response.

The group said that teachers’ fight for safe, accessible, and quality education is closely linked with the fight of health workers who are at the frontlines in the fight against Covid19.

“If we don’t support our health workers now, then we can never hope to get out of this pandemic, nor will our students stand a chance at safely returning to schools. They’ve been the true heroes in this hellish health crisis, while Duterte and Duque waste away the people’s money on corruption and dim-witted, militaristic pandemic response,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

ACT cited the report of the Commission on Audit that found “deficiencies” in the use of Covid19 funds by the Health department.

“It is insulting and very much demoralizing for our health care workers to be inhumanely treated like this by the government. They, too, have families and are struggling to keep their heads above water amid the health and economic crises. With the government’s glaring incompetency in addressing the pandemic, our frontliners are the only ones keeping our country from falling apart. The least the government could do is provide them timely benefits and just compensation,” Basilio said.

The group hit the Duterte administration’s alleged  corrupt governance and criminal negligence in handling public funds amid the worsening health and economic crisis.

“It’s unconscionable how public funds are mishandled at a time when the people are in dire need of government services. Kaya naman pala lubog na lubog tayo sa krisis at hindi makawala sa pandemyang ito, walang kahiya-hiyang winawaldas at kinukurakot ng mga opisyal ang kaban ng bayan,” it said.

ACT vowed to join health workers and the rest of the Filipino people in holding to account President Duterte and his “corrupt” officials.

“All officials that have repeatedly failed in performing their mandates should step down immediately and be charged for their crimes against the people. Let us put an end to the reign of gross incompetence, terror, and tyranny,” Basilio said.