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DepEd vows to cooperate with Ombudsman amid order to file graft charges vs. Briones, Lao
DepEd vows to cooperate with Ombudsman amid order to file graft charges vs. Briones, Lao

GMA Network

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • GMA Network

DepEd vows to cooperate with Ombudsman amid order to file graft charges vs. Briones, Lao

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Saturday said it is fully committed to cooperating with the Office of the Ombudsman after its order to file graft and falsification charges against former Education Secretary Leonor Briones, former Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lao, and several former education officials regarding the 'pricey' P2.4 billion laptops purchased in 2020. 'DepEd reiterates its full commitment to cooperate with the Office of the Ombudsman in the expeditious and fair resolution of this case. The Department is ready to provide all necessary documents, information, and other forms of assistance to ensure accountability and to protect the interest of the public,' DepEd said in a statement. DepEd said it was already informed of the filing of an Information for Violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Falsification by Public Officers under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), and Perjury under Article 183 of the RPC against several of its former officials. 'Officials subject of the charges no longer hold any position in or maintain any connection with the Department,' DepEd said. The laptops, priced at P58,300 each with an outdated Celeron processor, were purchased by the Department of Education for the implementation of distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was deemed 'pricey' by the Commission on Audit. 'The new bidding parameters, i.e. lower quantity and higher unit price, were reflected in the bidding documents and was used in the bidding process... These parameters facilitated the overprice and the consequent undue injury and gross disadvantage to the government,' the Ombudsman said. The Ombudsman said that the approved series of requests for extensions to deliver the laptops, requests to change payment terms, and other adjustments to the contract terms and conditions which, taken together, 'betray an unusually deferential treatment and favor towards the Joint Venture consortium.' The Ombudsman added that the DepEd supply officers often received feedback stating that the computers they had purchased were: overpriced vis-à-vis the outdated or inferior technical specifications; unable to handle multiple applications at the same time; defective or fast-draining battery; quite slow to boot-up; and immediately returned by the recipients, who opted to wait for better laptop models. —Jamil Santos/ VAL, GMA Integrated News

Ombudsman orders graft charges vs. Briones, Lao over 'pricey' P2.4B laptops
Ombudsman orders graft charges vs. Briones, Lao over 'pricey' P2.4B laptops

GMA Network

time3 days ago

  • Politics
  • GMA Network

Ombudsman orders graft charges vs. Briones, Lao over 'pricey' P2.4B laptops

The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of graft and falsification charges against former Education Secretary Leonor Briones and former Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lao over the P2.4 billion worth of laptops purchased in 2020, which were deemed "pricey" by the Commission on Audit. The laptops, priced at P58,300 each with an outdated Celeron processor, were purchased by the Department of Education for the implementation of distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ombudsman also recommended the filing of charges against several former DepEd and DBM officials involved in the transaction. 'The new bidding parameters, i.e. lower quantity and higher unit price, were reflected in the bidding documents and was used in the bidding process... These parameters facilitated the overprice and the consequent undue injury and gross disadvantage to the government,' the Ombudsman said. The Ombudsman said that the approved series of requests for extensions to deliver the laptops, requests to change payment terms, and other adjustments to the contract terms and conditions which, taken together, 'betray an unusually deferential treatment and favor towards the Joint Venture consortium.' 'Considering the complexity of the scheme and the individual participation of respondents as contributory to the carrying out and perpetuation of a common design to give unwarranted benefit to the Joint Venture and to cause undue injury to the government, a finding of probable cause for the prosecution of respondents under Section 3(e) of RA 3019 suffices since violation of Section 3 (a) and (g) of RA 3019 are already deemed subsumed therein,' the Ombudsman added. RA 3019 is the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. GMA News Online has reached out to Briones and Lao but they have yet to reply as of posting time. In its annual audit report on the agency for 2021, the Commission on Audit flagged DepEd for purchasing the P2.4 billion worth of laptops through the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM-PS) when there are cheaper and better options in the market. "Per available documents, the Audit Team could not ascertain the DBM-PS' basis for adopting the unit price of P58,300. Apparently, the supposed number of laptops to be procured of 68,500 units was significantly reduced to 39,583 units which was mainly due to the huge increase of estimated cost P35,046 to P58,300 anchored on the DBM-PS' recommendation, which was duly accepted by the DepEd," COA pointed out. "The price per unit is pricey for an entry-level type of laptop which resulted in significant decrease in the number of units provided to intended users. The huge difference of P23,253 per unit price resulted in a significant decrease by 28,917 laptop computers. Consequently, an estimated 28,917 teachers were deprived of the possible benefits from the supposed provision of these laptops," COA added. —VAL, GMA Integrated News

Marcos: No EDSA rehab until rerouting plans ‘solid,' LGUs ready
Marcos: No EDSA rehab until rerouting plans ‘solid,' LGUs ready

GMA Network

time08-06-2025

  • Business
  • GMA Network

Marcos: No EDSA rehab until rerouting plans ‘solid,' LGUs ready

The rehabilitation of the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or EDSA, the country's busiest highway, will not take place until a 'solid' rerouting plans have been put in place and local government units (LGUs) are ready, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. said over the weekend. Marcos last week announced the one-month postponement of the EDSA rehabilitation, initially scheduled to start on June 13, 2025, as he said the two-year timetable would be a big sacrifice as this would lead to heavy traffic conditions. 'Ang sabi ko nga ay masyadong matagal naman 'yung dalawang taon para maabala ang mga kababayan natin (Like I said, two years is too long for our countrymen to be inconvenienced),' he said in a vlog on Sunday. 'Hangga't wala akong nakikitang solid na mga rerouting plans at masiguro na handang handa na ang mga LGU, 'wag muna natin gawin, ayusin muna natin ang mga plano,' he added. (Until I see solid rerouting plans and we ensure that LGUs are thoroughly ready, let us postpone and fine-tune plans first.) Transportation Secretary Vivencio 'Vince' Dizon on Tuesday said Marcos wants to expedite the rebuilding of the major thoroughfare — which spans 23.8 kilometers — from two years to six months. An P8.7-billion cost has been estimated to modernize EDSA and make it flood-free. The rehabilitation was supposed to pave the way for the 24-hour odd-even scheme on EDSA, and the waiving of toll in parts of Skyway Stage 3, among other interventions. A study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in September 2014 in conjunction with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) found that the gridlock plaguing the streets of Metro Manila is costing the Philippines at least P2.4 billion a day. Economists now expect this to be higher. In the same vlog, the President also cited the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), spearheaded by the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) under a public-private partnership. 'Bilang gateway ng ating bansa, itong mga airport natin kumbaga ang first and last experience nila sa ating bansa, kaya't hindi sapat na magaganda ang tourist spot natin. Kailangan ganon din kaganda ang mga airport natin. Hindi lamang ang Manila airport dinedevelop natin pati ang mga regional airport,' Marcos said. (As the gateway to the Philippines, our airports are the first and last experience in our country, so it is not enough that our tourist spots are beautiful. Our airports also need to be as beautiful. Not only the Manila airport, but we are also developing our regional airports.) The NNIC, made up of San Miguel Holdings Corp., RMM Asian Logistics Inc., RLW Aviation Development Inc., and Incheon International Airport Corp., took over NAIA on September 14, 2024. It inked a P170.6-billion concession agreement with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to take over NAIA in March 2024, after it offered the highest share of its future revenues from operating the gateway to the government. —RF, GMA Integrated News

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