Senate OKs Blue Ribbon report on DepEd laptops

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has approved a report of the Blue Ribbon committee on the overpriced and outdated laptop procurement by the Department of Education (DepEd) through the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

With conspiracy to facilitate and generate an overpriced deal, the committee – chaired by Sen. Francis Tolentino – yesterday recommended the filing of charges against several officials of the DepEd and PS-DBM involved in the procurement of overpriced laptops during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada voted no to the 197-page committee report.

“As much as I would want to be consistent since I had filed a dissenting opinion with regard to the committee report of our good friend, Sen. Tolentino, I would like to register my vote as no. Negative side,” Estrada said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III manifested that he filed a separate opinion to the report and would no longer move to amend the main report.

Tolentino affirmed that the minority report would be part of the committee report.

After conducting five hearings and based on the evidence presented, the Blue Ribbon committee found that 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.

“There is sufficient basis to believe that there was a conspiracy to facilitate and or generate an overpriced (procurement), which indicates manifest partiality, evident bad faith and or gross excusable neglect on the part of the senior officials and staff of the DepEd and PS-DBM,” Tolentino said.

Charges of violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act were recommended against the officials of the DepEd and PS-DBM.

“The administrative and disciplinary investigations for multiple counts of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service be likewise initiated against the aforementioned senior officials of the DepEd and PS-DBM, as may be applicable,” the report said.

The DepEd was supposed to procure 68,500 laptop units, but reduced it to 39,583 due to the huge increase in the estimated cost – from P35,046 to P58,300 – based on the PS-DBM’s recommendation, which was accepted by the education department.

The committee said that civil cases be initiated against the DepEd and the PS-DBM in order to collect and recover the value of the overpriced laptops in the amount of at least P979 million, including accrued interest and damages.