Ex-DepEd Usec. Mercado turned over the envelopes she received from VP Duterte | GMA Integrated News

Summary

In the transcript, a vice president denies allegations of providing funds to a former DepEd official, Gloria Mercado, and claims Mercado was dismissed for soliciting donations without authorization. Mercado refutes the claims, explaining the dismissal was due to a staff issue and that the donations were for approved programs with no personal solicitation involved. She expresses sadness at the misunderstanding and offers to provide evidence to clear her name.

Takeaways

• 📢 The Vice President is denying allegations of giving 50,000 for 9 months to former DepEd Undersecretary Gloria Mercado.
• 🗣️ The Vice President claims Mercado was let go for using DepEd to solicit 16 million in donations without authorization.
• 📄 The Vice President promises to provide a paper trail to support her claims and describes Mercado as a disgruntled official.
• 💼 Mercado denies the allegations and explains the circumstances surrounding the dismissal, including a teacher on her staff.
• 🏫 Mercado clarifies that the teacher was on a contract and had a pending application, and was working on a special hardship allowance program.
• 💼 She further explains that the 16 million was for a program developed by DepEd, not for personal gain.
• 🤝 The program was presented to corporations, and two were willing to fund it, but no cash was solicited or received.
• 📊 The funding was divided into 'chewable chunks' to make it more accessible for potential donors.
• 📈 The program aimed to improve the资格审查 (RQA) process by making it electronic and reducing human intervention.
• 😢 Mercado expresses sadness over the ongoing allegations and the lack of accurate information from the Vice President's office.

Q & A

What is the main issue raised by the Vice President against Gloria Mercado?

The Vice President accused Gloria Mercado of using DepEd to solicit donations from the private sector amounting to 16 million without knowledge, and of being let go due to this misconduct.

How does Gloria Mercado respond to the accusation of soliciting donations?

Mercado explains that the solicitation was not personal but part of a DepEd project managed by the external partnerships office, and that no cash donations were made, only equipment for the department.

What was the reason given by Yusk for Mercado's dismissal?

Yusk stated that Mercado was let go because she had a teacher in her staff, which was against the rules, but Mercado clarified that the teacher was on a contract of services and had a pending application in CBU.

What is the significance of the 'special hardship allowance' mentioned in the script?

The special hardship allowance is a program that was being worked on to improve the conditions for teachers, reducing the hardship threshold and potentially benefiting more teachers.

What was the role of UNICEF consultants in the project mentioned by Mercado?

Two consultants from UNICEF helped develop an app for the project, which was aimed at improving the electronic mode of the资格审查(RQA) process for teachers.

How did the corporations become involved in the project, and what was their commitment?

DepEd made presentations to various corporations about the project, and some appreciated its importance, committing to fund 'chewable chunks' of the total fund of 16 million for specific packages.

Why were the corporations willing to fund the project?

The corporations saw the project as an important initiative that could benefit the education sector, hence their willingness to fund it.

What does Mercado mean when she says the total fund was divided into 'chewable chunks'?

This refers to dividing the total fund into smaller, more manageable amounts that corporations could commit to funding, making the project more accessible for potential donors.

How does Mercado feel about the Vice President's allegations?

Mercado expresses sadness and frustration that the Vice President is making these allegations without having all the information.

What does Mercado request to prove her innocence?

Mercado suggests that the two corporations involved are willing to provide affidavits stating that she did not solicit any donations from them.

How does the Congressman respond to Mercado's explanation?

The Congressman seems to accept Mercado's explanation and allows her to continue her response, indicating that he is open to hearing her side of the story.