A Senate panel is recommending graft and perjury charges against some former and current officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (PS-DBM) over the “highly irregular” laptop procurement project in 2021.
In its report released on Thursday, the Senate blue ribbon committee recommended the following charges against the following former and current officials:
*One count of violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against (causing undue injury to the government):
- Former DepEd Undersecretary Alain del B. Pascua
- DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn M. Sevilla
- Former DepEd Assistant Secretary Salvador C. Malana III
- Director Abram YC Abanil
- Former PS-DBM OIC Executive Director Lloyd Christopher Lao
- Former PS-DBM OIC Executive Director Jason L. Uayan
- Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Chairman Ulysses E. Mora as well as the other members of the Special Bids and Awards Committee I and SBAC technical working group and Secretariat, whether from Deped or PS-DBM.
- Engr. Marwan O. Amil
*One count of violation of Section 3(g) of RA 3019 against Pascua, Sevilla, Malana, Lao, Uayan, Mora, and other SBAC officers and secretariat.
The charge was also recommended against principals, representatives and/or agents of the Joint Venture consortium partners or other private parties “who may have colluded and/or conspired” as supported by competent evidence with aforementioned officials.
*Falsification of Public Document by a Public Official under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code against Sevilla, former Executive Assistant Alec Ladanga;
*One count of violation of Section 3(a) of RA 3019 against Sevilla and Ladanga. The section states that it is “unlawful for any person having family or close personal relationship with any public official to capitalize or exploit or take advantage of such family or close personal relationship by directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any present, gift or material or pecuniary advantage from any other person.”
*Multiple counts of Perjury under Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code against Sevilla, Pascua, Malana, Lao, and Uayan.
In August 2022, the blue ribbon committee launched its investigation into DepEd’s purchase of “outdated and pricey” laptops through PS-DBM.
The probe focused on the memorandum of agreement (MOA) used for the procurement and the bidding process that the PS-DBM and the DepEd conducted.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian earlier tagged the laptop procurement deal as “defective” after a DepEd official testified that the MOA was signed only after the invitation to bid was posted and the quotation for the laptops was requested.
In its 2021 annual audit report, the Commission on Audit flagged DepEd for purchasing more expensive laptops than the ones indicated in their budget, which resulted in the procurement of fewer units, depriving over 28,000 teachers of the benefit.
DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa is set to face the media on Thursday afternoon to comment on the blue ribbon’s findings.
GMA News Online has already reached out to Lao for his comment but he has yet to respond as of posting time. -KBK, GMA Integrated News
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