HEADLINE-JUSTICE | MANILA- DepEd, PS-DBM officials suspended for laptop deal
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MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the preventive suspension of an education undersecretary and six former colleagues as well as five officials of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) pending investigation of their possible involvement in the questionable purchase of “outdated and overpriced” laptops for public school teachers in 2021.
Ordered suspended were Department of Education Undersecretary for finance Annalyn Sevilla, former undersecretary for administration and procurement Alain del Pascua, former assistant secretary for administration and procurement Salvador Malana III and former information and communications technology services director Abram Abanil. Other DepEd officials in the suspension order are former executive assistant IV Alec Ladanga, director IV Marcelo Bragando and supervising administrative officer Selwyn Briones.
Also suspended were PS-DBM executive directors Lloyd Christopher Lao and Jasonmer Uayan.
Memento Maxima Digital MarketingThree other PS-DBM officials in the suspension order were Ulysses Mora, Marwan Amil and Paul Armand Estrada.
Among the DepEd officials included in the order, only Sevilla remains in the department, undersecretary and spokesman Michael Poa confirmed yesterday.
The ombudsman’s order was dated Aug. 23.
“DepEd adheres to due process and shall abide by the said order. Meanwhile, the department reassures the public of its unhampered services as we prepare for a safe and orderly opening of School Year 2023-2024,” it said in a statement.
Pascua and Malana, who were appointees of former education secretary Leonor Briones, were not reappointed by Vice President Sara Duterte when she took over the post last year.
The PS-DBM website still lists Mora and Estrada in its directory of officials. It was unclear if Amil is still with the agency.
Lao and Uayan were among the former PS-DBM officials facing graft charges over alleged irregularities with the procurement of COVID-19 test kits from Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp.
Sufficient
In his latest order, Ombudsman Samuel Martires said there were sufficient grounds to preventively suspend the DepEd and PS-DBM officials, as “there is strong evidence showing their guilt” on charges of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and gross neglect of duty.
“Their continued stay in office may prejudice the investigation of the case filed against them, and it is imperative to preserve documents and evidence pertaining to this case over which respondents have control and custody,” read the 11-page order.
The officials were placed under preventive suspension without pay for the duration of the proceedings, but not exceeding six months, “except when the delay in the disposition of the case is due to their fault, negligence or petition.”
The proceedings stemmed from the procurement of laptops for public school teachers worth P2.4 billion, which the DepEd delegated to the PS-DBM.
A Commission on Audit (COA) report found irregularities in the transaction, noting that the laptops procured were “outdated” and “overpriced.”
Each laptop cost P58,300, higher than the original estimated cost of P35,046.50.
“The huge difference of P23,253.50 per unit price resulted in a significant decrease by 28,917 laptop computers, purportedly for distribution to intended recipient-teachers,” the audit report, as cited by Martires in his order, read.
“The base price of the same model of Dell laptop available in the market with a better screen ranges from P22,490 up to P25,000,” it added.
The ombudsman also cited the findings of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, which earlier recommended charges against the DepEd and PS-DBM officials.
In its report, the committee found that the repeated changes by the DepEd in the use of P2.4 billion – from tablets to mobile connectivity for students to laptops for teachers – “is highly arbitrary, unjustified, improper and not beneficial to DepEd teachers and students.”
“PS-DBM has no legal authority to act as procurement agent or procurement entity for DepEd and to conduct procurement activities on the latter’s behalf, and there is no basis to obligate the P2.4 billion in February 2021,” read a Senate Blue Ribbon committee report, as cited in the ombudsman’s order.
“Serious irregularities have been committed at all stages of the procurement process which rendered the contract for the purchase of laptops defective and highly irregular,” it added.
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