VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte dared ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro to publicly condemn the New People’s Army’s violence in Masbate.

Duterte called Castro a fake representative of the education sector in Congress for her continued refusal to condemn the atrocities committed by the communist rebels.

“That ACT Teachers is a sham and truly does not represent the education sector in Congress was even validated by her call for ‘forensic experts’ and the Commission on Human Rights to see the real perpetrators of the gun firing near the schools,” she said in a statement.

“Castro’s call only confirms her duplicitous character — and was buttressed by her attempt to ‘lawyer’ for the terrorist NPAs,” the Vice President added.

She warned the government against reopening peace negotiations with the communists, saying it is a trap.

Duterte said Castro’s assertion that the peace negotiations would address the root causes of the armed conflict was ludicrous.

“Instead, it would only give legitimacy to the absurdity of the terrorism perpetrated by the armed wing of the NDFP, the NPAs. Negotiating with the NDFP is always doomed to fail,” she said.

“Malinaw sa kasaysayan na ang magbe-benepisyo lang ng peace talks ay ang NPA at mga grupong katulad ng ACT Teachers,” the Vice President added.