MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers at the House of Representatives rapped Vice President Sara Duterte for criticizing the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and called on her to collaborate instead with the administration.

Duterte had criticized Marcos administration over the past few days over its alleged failures in governance, as well as raising concerns over the budget of the Department of Education, citing this as among the reasons for her resignation from the Marcos Cabinet.

Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin said that Duterte finger pointing and blaming the government would not help in resolving DepEd's problems, stressing that leadership is always the "captain of the ship"

"It's clear that DepEd has always received the largest budget. If there were problems, they likely came from a lack of direction and a poor system of implementation," Garin said.

She also chided Duterte for not raising these issues during her time as Education secretary when she had the power to make these changes.

"It's easy to claim a lack of support after the fact, but real leadership is about taking action and making a difference when it matters, not after you've stepped down," Garin said.

Majority Leader and Taguig 2nd District Rep. Amparo Maria "Pammy" Zamora said that Duterte's criticisms on flood control projects to her reduced security had become more polarizing than productive.

"On flood control, let's not forget that the Dutertes were in full control for 6 years. How can they be sidelined for crucial infra projects? On the matter of her security entourage, the PNP (Philippine National Police) chief has said she still retains almost 390 security personnel. I doubt anyone would still find that inadequate" Zamora, the younger sister of San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora, said.