House to keep eye on Department of Education budget

CEBU, Philippines - Next year’s annual budget submitted by the Department of Education may encounter close scrutiny by the House of Representatives in next week’s budget hearing.

Akbayan Partylist Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel made the threat after Education Secretary Jesli Lapus allegedly failed to act on the alleged irregularities regarding the purchase of school furniture in Cebu Province and the conduct of the bidding. Baraquel wants Lapus to explain before members of the House the actions made by his office over the alleged substandard school furniture distributed to the different elementary and high schools in Cebu province.

The alleged irregularities were first brought to light by The FREEMAN following the complaints raised by the firms that DepEd awarded a school furniture contract worth P17 million to Gala Industries Corp. despite having higher bids compared to theirs.

Parents and teachers in the different schools also complained that tables and chairs were substandard, had holes and some of them had metal nails instead of wooden screws.

Although the officials of the Department of Education-Cebu Province insisted that reports were not true, The FREEMAN visited some schools in the northern towns and found teacher who said some defects have not been fully rectified. A check made by The FREEMAN also showed that the Department of Education-Cebu province made the payment of the distributed school furniture last January 21, 2009.

A copy of the voucher dated December 19, 2008 submitted by Gala Industries Corp. and approved for payment by Serena Uy, the former school division superintendent of Cebu province stated that the school furniture in the said schools are in good condition. An inspection report was also approved by Uy.   A resolution seeking for the conduct of a congressional inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the bidding has been filed by Baraquel. —Jose P. Sollano/BRP   (THE FREEMAN)