Senate committee: DepEd laptops 'overpriced' ng P979-M; kaso inirerekomenda
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:36 p.m.) — Inirekomenda ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee na maghain ng criminal at administrative complaints laban sa ilang senior officials ng Department of Education at Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management dahil sa outdated laptops na "overpriced" ng milyun-milyon.
Ito ang ibinahagi nila, Huwebes, matapos ang limang pagdinig at ebidensyang iprinesenta sa Senado.
"The contract for the supply and delivery of laptop computers for public school teachers under the 2021 Deped Laptop for Teachers Procurement Project was overpriced by at least P979 million," wika nila sa isang pahayag kanina.
"There is sufficient basis to believe that there was a conspiracy to facilitate and/or generate an overprice which indicates manifest partiality, evident bad faith, and/or gross inexcusable neglect on the part of senior officials and staff of the DepEd and the PS-DBM."
Agosto 2022 lang nang ibulgar ng Commission on Audit na umabot sa P2.4 bilyong halaga ang binili ng DepEd para sa "entry-level," "outdated" at "sobra sa mahal" na laptops na gagamitin sana sa distance learning.
Bahagi ng laptop procurement project, na ikinasa para makapag-adjust ang mga guro sa kawalan ng face-to-face classes dulot ng COVID-19 pandemic, ang:
- laptop units
- laptop bags
- mouse
- headset
- delivery costs
- atbp.
Wika pa ng komite, "halatang" nagtulung-tulungan daw para paboran ang ilang bidders para makapagsumite ng excessive bids na siyang nagresulta sa overpricing.
"The repeated changes by DepEd in the use and allocation of the P2.4 billion from tablets to mobile connectivity loads for students, and then to laptops for teachers is highly arbitrary, unjustified, improper and not beneficial to DepEd teachers and students," sabi pa nila.
"The increase of the unit price component of the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) from P35,036.50 to P58,300.00 which caused the reduction of the quantity of the laptops is highly irregular, it was generated from a manipulated market survey and price analysis of PS-DBM which was accepted and approved by DepEd without question."
Nagdulot din daw ang special bids and awards committee, head ng procuring entity ng PS-DBM at mga opisyales ng DepEd ng "grave and undue injury and prejudice" sa DepEd at public school teachers, noong kumuha at tanggapin ang mga Dell Latitude 3420 na may Intel Celeron 1.8 GHz processor. Ito'y kahit mas mababa ito sa specifications na nakasaad sa bidding documents.
Lumalabas din na "masyadong mabagal" ang mga laptop na nabanggit na pangturo sana sa mga bata dahil sa Intel Celeron lang ito. Bukod pa riyan, ibinahagi din daw ito sa malaking bilang ng non-teaching personnel (nasa 12%).
PS-DBM buwagin?
Inirerekomenda tuloy ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee ang mga sumusunod dahil sa kanilang mga napag-alaman:
- abolition ng PS-DBM
- pag-oobliga ng government departments, agencies, atbp. na magsagawa ng sariling procurement
- pag-amyenda sa Republic Act 9184
- pagbawi sa P979 milyong overprice bilang proceeds ng "korapsyon," at ilagay ito sa special National Teachers Trust Fund
- paghahain ng mga criminal at administrative cases laban sa mga opisyal ng DepEd at PS-DBM
- atbp.
Sinu-sino kakasuhan?
Para sa isang count ng paglabag sa Section 3(e) ng RA 3019 o Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act:
- dating Education Undersecretary Alain del Pascua
- Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla
- dating Education Assistant Secretary Salvador Malana III
- DepEd Director Abram Abanil
- dating PS-DBM officer-in-charge Executive Director Lloyd Christopher Lao
- dating PS-DBM OFIC Executive Director Jasonmer Uayan
- BAC Chairperson Ulysses Mora atbp. miyembro ng SBAC I at SBAC TWG at Secretariat, galing man sa DepEd o PS-DBM
- Engr. Marwan Amil
- atbp.
Para sa isang count ng paglabag sa Section 3(g) ng RA 3019:
- Del Pascua
- Sevilla
- Malana
- Lao
- Uayan
- Mora atbp. miyembro ng SBAC I at SBAC TWG at Secretariat, galing man sa DepEd o PS-DBM
- atbp.
Isang count ng Falsification of Public Document by a Public Official sa ilalim ng Article 171 ng Revised Penal Code:
- Sevilla
- dating DepEd Executive Assistant Alec Ladanga
Isang count ng paglabag sa Section 3(a) ng RA 3019:
- Sevilla
- Ladanga
Sari-saring counts ng perjury, na siyang pinarurusahan sa Article 183 ng RPC:
- Sevilla
- Pascua
- Malana
- Lao
- Uayan
Bukod pa ito sa inirerekomenda ngayong administrative at disciplinary investigations.
Ayon kay DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa, hindi pa nila nakukuha ang kopya ng report ng Senate committee.
Sa kabila nito, tiniyak niyang "committed" sa transparency at accountability" ang kagawaran pati na sa procurement process nito.
"We will definitely consider [the Senate panel's] recommendations and findings so that we can also strengthen our internal controls in terms of procurement," ani Poa sa isang media briefing. — may mga ulat mula kay Xave Gregorio
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