MANILA, Philippines -- A Department of Education official said on Tuesday there was no overprice in the procurement of anti-lice shampoo and medical equipment by the DepEd, and that critics were comparing prices of different products.

Dr. Maria Corazon C. Dumlao, officer in charge of the DepEd Health and Nutrition Center (HNC), said the anti-lice Lycare citronella shampoo (purchased at P12 per unit) was different from the Licealiz brand (P9.92) because the latter’s active ingredient was pyrethrin and not citronella.

“No, there was no overprice in the procurement of citronella shampoo,” Dumlao said, adding that the market price of citronella shampoo had actually gone up to P18.

She said the HNC chose citronella because other anti-lice shampoos were “chemical-based and have toxic effects…and may even cause death in severe cases.”

Dumlao said citronella’s side effects were minimal: “Slight reddening and itchiness of the scalp.”

On the other hand, a pyrethrin-based shampoo like Licealiz had several side effects, including contact dermatitis, difficulty in breathing, asthma, pruritus, numbness and edema or rashes.

Dumlao said the DepEd had a P900,000 budget to buy 75,000 sachets of citronella shampoo but no payments had been made because the Bureau of Food and Drugs was still reviewing the product.

On the alleged overprice of otoscopes, Dumlao said the DepEd was buying instruments called “diagnostic sets” and not ordinary otoscopes, which would be used to examine the ear canal.

She said a “diagnostic set” was an otoscope combined with an ophthalmoscope (used to check the eyes). While ordinary penlight otoscopes cost P120 to P200, the market price of a “diagnostic set” is P12,000 to P15,000.

The DepEd was also studying whether to proceed with its controversial P427-million “fortified noodle” program after an official review found no irregularity in the project’s bidding process, said Education Undersecretary Franklin Sunga.