THE DEPARTMENT of Education on Sunday dared Senator Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Pacquiao to name the official he claimed was involved in corruption.

“As a public servant, the good senator has every right, legally and morally to assail and put to question whatever wrongdoing, any person or instrumentality of the government for that matter in his quest to eradicate graft and corruption in the bureaucracy,” the DepEd said in a statement.

“Therefore, it is a moral duty for the good senator, being a candidate for the highest office in the land, to name names and/ or identify, and not rely on generalities to put down the whole institution of the Department of Education,” it added.

On May 6, Pacquiao claimed that an unnamed DepEd official collects commissions amounting to 40% of the cost of projects implemented by the department.

DepEd warned that casting aspersions on the entire institution is “very dangerous” and might affect public impression on the integrity of the elections.

“While there might still be bad eggs within the organization, the leadership of the Department has seen fit to charge these known implicated and remove those found guilty,” it said.

“To allege wrongdoing, unsupported by specific facts or without naming names, is tantamount to false accusation,” it added.