Overpriced DepEd computers referred to Solicitor General

THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte said it will refer to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) the filing of charges against officials and personnel allegedly involved in the purchase of overpriced laptop computers under the previous administration.

The Senate committee recommended the filing of graft charges against several incumbent and former officials of the DepEd and PS-DBM in connection to the anomalous transactions. Also included on the recommended charges are falsification of public documents and perjury.

The recommendation came following months of investigation by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the overpriced computers worth at least P979 million purchased during the Duterte administration.

DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said they are ready to receive the official report of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the purchase of the computers through the Procurement Service – Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) in 2021.

“The filing of cases against past and present officials of the DepEd, as recommended by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, will be referred to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for evaluation and appropriate action,” Poa said.

He said the DepEd has acted immediately on the legal measures needed to be done against allegedly erring officials and personnel. “There is a pending administrative case against one DepEd employee involved in the procurement,” he said.

Poa said they are also looking into how DepEd laptop computers end up being sold in surplus stores in Cebu. “The Department is now coordinating with relevant law enforcement agencies to apprehend the perpetrators,” he said. (Stephanie Sevillano)