THE three-member Makabayan Bloc at the House of Representatives is seeking the conduct of an investigation in aid of legislation on the alleged anomalous procurement of overpriced and outdated laptops in 2021 intended for teachers for their online classes.
Gabriela Representative Arlene Brosas, Kabataan Representative Raoul Manuel and Alliance of Concerned Teachers Representative France Castro filed House Resolution No. 189 seeking probe on the matter by the House Committee on Good Governance.
Based on the 2021 annual audit report of the Commission on Audit (COA), the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) was tapped by the Department of Education (DepEd) to conduct the procurement of laptops.
The DepEd allotted P2.4 billion, which it got from Republic Act No. 11494, or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, for the said purpose.
The COA, however, said the laptops, which cost P58,300 each, were overpriced considering that its processors were outdated -- an Intel Celeron chip that can be found on laptops with a price range of P20,000 to P25,000.
COA said 68,500 units of laptops were supposed to be procured but only 39,583 units were purchased.
The Makabayan Bloc said the government not only wasted the people’s money in purchasing outdated laptops, it also deprived thousands of teachers of gadgets that could have helped them implement distance learning.
In a press conference, DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa said they are looking into two possible approaches to address the matter: to internally evaluate the laptops and make a “quick fix” so they could be used immediately; or to apply legal remedies for it.
He noted that the laptops were still covered by warranty.
“What we will do, aside from addressing the concerns of the teachers now doon sa mabagal na computers, we will also, in coordination with PS-DBM,...we will invoke the warranty provision under contract dito sa supplier ng ating laptops,” said Poa.
The DepEd, however, maintained that the deals should not be tagged as anomalous yet without the final report from COA.
Poa said they have already submitted to COA all the necessary documents pertaining to the matter.
Earlier, the PS-DBM has been in hot water over the alleged procurement of “overpriced” medical supplies intended for the health workers during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. (SunStar Philippines)