DepEd Open for House probe on P2.4 Billion Laptop Issue
DepEd – The Department of Education is prepared for any legislative investigation over the purchase of P2.4 billion worth of laptops that state auditors apparently deemed “outdated” and “expensive.”
DepEd’s purchase of laptops is expensive, costing P58,300 per unit, according to the 2021 Commission on Audit (COA) report.
According to ABS-CBN, COA also discovered that the laptops were not performing well based on various feedbacks before learning that their processor was an out-of-date Intel Celeron.
However, due to the high cost of the laptops, only 39,583 out of 68,500 public school teachers in the nation will benefit from the purchase of the computers, which is intended to assist them with distance learning.
Sen. Koko Pimentel III, the Senate Minority Leader, submitted a resolution on Thursday asking the blue-ribbon committee to look into the matter of the DepEd’s expensive laptop purchases.
In the house of Representatives, Representatives France Castro of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan also requested as investigation in the lower house.
After a resolution filed by Senator Pimentel, according to a report, opposition Senator Riza Hontiveros will also file the same resolution soon.
“The Department of Education welcomes inquiries to be made by Congress regarding the laptops procured by the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) for public school teachers at the height of the pandemic,” In statement said by DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa.
They are open and willing to take part in any investigation because they believe the issue around the purchase of expensive laptops needs to be addressed right away. They also value transparency and responsibility in their office.
DepEd emphasized that the acquisition of the laptops should not be viewed as irregular because the final report from the Commission on Audit is still pending.
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