MANILA, Philippines ? After error-filled books and overpriced noodles comes costly anti-lice shampoo of the Department of Education (DepEd).

A party-list lawmaker has questioned the DepEd?s purchase of lice-removing shampoo for students, saying the chosen products were more expensive than other items available on the market.

Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino has filed a resolution calling for an investigation of the DepEd?s procurement of citronella shampoo and otoscopes, medical devices used to examine the ears.

Palatino said the DepEd bought the citronella shampoo for P90,000, or at P12 per 10 milliliters. But he said a lice-removing shampoo under the brand Licealize is sold for only P9.92 in the markets.

?They have a lot of explaining to do with regard to the pricing discrepancies or overpricing,? he said in a statement.

Second most common ailment

Pediculosis or infestation with lice, especially of the genus Pediculus, is the second most common ailment among public schoolchildren aged 7 to 12 years, next only to dental caries, according to the DepEd.

Nearly 8 million young public schoolchildren were afflicted with pediculosis, Thelma Guerrero-Santos, then the DepEd?s assistant director for health, said in 2000.

Students with lice have difficulty catching lessons in school. Santos said pediculosis had become a ?serious problem? for teachers, who could not seem to hold the attention of the children because of the perennial scratching in class.

She cited a DepEd study in 1999 showing that 7.88 million children in public schools were afflicted with the ?ailment.?

This represented 84 percent of the 9.38 million elementary children examined by mobile nurses in Metro Manila and the provinces.

Southern Tagalog and Central Visayas had the largest number of students who suffered from pediculosis, according to the study.

Until 2000, the DepEd had not paid attention to treating the infestation. Its health service providers used to give out Kwell shampoo, an anti-lice solution known to eradicate the irritating parasites after minimal use.

They were also conducting a massive information campaign on proper hygiene among young students. ?Even high school students have pediculosis, and it also affects their attentiveness,? Santos said.

Impacted cerumen

Palatino said the otoscopes were bought for P1 million at P13,333 per set. But he claimed that similar items were worth only P120 to P135 in the market.

Otoscopes are instruments with lighting and magnifying systems used to facilitate visual examination of the auditory canal and the eardrum.

The otoscopes may be aimed at addressing impacted cerumen, or the hardened yellowish substance inside the ear. Impacted cerumen, known in colloquial language as too much ?tutuli,? is the seventh leading ailment among grade school students, according to the DepEd study in 1999.

The problem causes teachers to get the wrong impression that the children are not listening or that they are deaf because they don?t easily pick up what the teacher is saying, according to educators.

Ferrous sulfate tablets

Palatino noted that the DepEd also bought P5 million worth of ferrous sulfate tablets, P1.8 million worth of dental anesthetics and P1.3 million worth of disposable dental needles.

Franklin Sunga, education undersecretary for legal affairs, said the DepEd was conducting its own fact-finding review of the acquisition of allegedly overpriced citronella shampoo.

?Like the Kabataan party-list, we, too, want what is best for the children. We found citronella?which is herb-based?more suited for our kids and with minimal side effects,? Sunga said.

He said the DepEd ?can?t scrimp when it comes to children?s health, and we need to balance that by being conscientious when we spend public funds.?

Nevertheless, he said the DepEd would fully cooperate in any inquiry.

No payment yet for otoscopes

On the alleged overpricing of otoscopes, the DepEd said in a statement that no payment had been made for their procurement.

?The otoscopes that will be purchased are two-headed instruments which double as opthalmoscopes (or devices used to check the eyes). These equipment are US-made and were found to be more durable than other brands, thus the higher price,? it said.

The DepEd added that the otoscopes ?had several head sizes? that can fit the ears of both children and adults.

?We thank the Kabataan party-list for their continuing concern for our children and we assure the public that DepEd has the best interest of the schoolchildren (in mind),? Sunga said.

Review purchases

Palatino said a closer look must be taken at the DepEd?s purchases, especially since recent controversies over the procurement of allegedly overpriced instant noodles and erroneous textbooks had not been resolved.

The DepEd has suspended the purchase of the instant noodles for its school feeding program after their price and alleged lack of nutritional value were questioned.

?In light of the unresolved ?Instant Noodles Scam? and the previous textbook scam, pricing discrepancies are deeply concerning and confusing the public whose wish for DepEd is to effectively implement health programs and projects and to look after the welfare of public schoolchildren,? Palatino said.

The Senate found that in the past five years, one company, Jeverps Manufacturing Corp., obtained the contract to supply the noodles. Jeverps was awarded six projects under the feeding program for the last five years and was paid P750 million.

Fortified with vitamins

Education Undersecretary Ted Sangil said at a Senate hearing last summer that the noodles had been verified to contain vitamins and minerals by the Bureau of Food and Drugs.

Sangil said the cost of commercial noodles was P8 to P9 for a 45-gm to 55-gm packet. The noodles that the DepEd serves the students cost P17.86 for a 100-gm packet, which is good for two servings.

Last week, the DepEd issued ?Teaching Notes? to correct more than 450 errors found in 10 English textbooks issued last year for use of public school students from Grade 1 to Grade 6. Leila B. Salaverria and Philip C. Tubeza