Tolentino urges amendment to government procurement law

MANILA, Philippines — To prevent another overpriced deal similar to the laptop procurement in the education department, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee recommended the immediate amendment of the government procurement law to further strengthen transparency and accountability safeguards.

The panel, chaired by Sen. Francis Tolentino, investigated the P2.4-billion purchase of laptops by the Department of Education (DepEd) and recommended amending Republic Act 9184, or the Procurement Act.

Tolentino’s committee also called for the abolition of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), which facilitated the purchase of the overpriced laptops on behalf of the DepEd.

The committee report also urged various branches of the government, including government-owned and controlled corporations, state universities and colleges and local government units, to just carry out their respective procurement processes.

The panel earlier recommended the filing of multiple criminal and administrative charges against some PS-DBM and DepEd officials due to the anomalous purchase of suspected “overpriced and outdated” laptops for public school teachers.

Tolentino’s committee noted significant irregularities in the purchase of more than 39,000 laptops in 2021, which appears to be overpriced by at least P979 million and recommended the filing of charges for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.