SEVEN officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and five officials of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) were preventively suspended for six months without pay in connection with the alleged overpriced laptops purchased for teachers during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Ombudsman has issued the preventive suspension against DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla; Salvador Malana, lll, DepEd Assistant Secretary for Administration and Procurement; Alec Ladanga, Executive Assistant IV; Marcelo Bragado, director IV assigned at the DepEd Procurement Management Service; Abram Abanil, director of the Information and Communications Technology Services and DepEd Designated Ad Hoc Member, Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC-1) for the “Laptop for Teachers,” project; Selwyn Briones, DepEd supervising administrative officer and former DepEd Undersecretary Alain del Pascua.

Also suspended were Director Jasonmar Uayan, officer-in-charge, Executive Director of DBM Procurement Service; Ulysees Mora, procurement management officer, PS-DBM and designated SBAC1 chairperson; Marwin Amil, procurement management officer l, PS-DBM and designated SBAC-1 provisional member; Paul Armand Estrada, procurement management officer V, PS-DBM and designated SBAC-1 regular member and former DBM Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao.

Ombudsman Samuel Marties issued the order after finding sufficient grounds to suspend them for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and gross neglect of duty charges filed against them.

It will be recalled that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee filed the complaints against the respondents resulting from the investigations it conducted on the alleged irregularities.

In its order, the Ombudsman noted the findings of the Commission on Audit which could not establish the basis of the DBM in adopting the P58,300 price per laptop in its recommended Approved Budget of Contract.

The DepEd apparently accepted the said amount.

It was also noted that instead of buying the 68,500 units of the laptop, there were only 39,583 units that were purchased due to the huge increase in the estimated cost from P35,046.50.

This is based on DepEd’s submission of Agency Procurement Requests. The Ombudsman’s order is immediately executory.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Cory Martinez