DepEd execs finger-point over laptop procurement antedated memo

‘SLOW, UNUSABLE’ A public school teacher from Quezon City describes as “slow and unusable” the laptop that the Department of Education distributed to teachers to help them in their online classes. The Commission on Audit earlier found the laptops to be “pricey and outdated.” —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Education (DepEd) officials pointed fingers at each other over the issue of who came up with the antedated memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the procurement of the alleged overpriced and outdated laptops.

At the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing into DepEd’s laptop purchase through the Department of Management-Procurement Service,  former DepEd procurement director Mark Bragado recalled questioning the MOA, which was still not finalized until May 2021.

READ: COA flags DepEd purchase of ‘pricey, outdated’ laptops

“Actually, meron po akong ginawang complete staff work before this po na para sa MOA. Pero ang problema po doon sa sinabi ko po sa kanya, magiging problematic po kasi February 16, [2021] ‘yung date. Kasi sila [finance department] naman po ang nagsabi na February dapat ang MOA,” he said.

(Actually, I did complete staff work for the MOA. But the issue is it will be problematic because MOA was dated February 16. Because they said that the MOA should be in February.)

READ: DepEd exec: No legal basis in procurement of pricey, outdated laptops

However, DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Anne Sevilla denied Bragado’s allegation.

“Contrary to what Atty. Bragado is saying, ‘yun pong pag-identify ng (date ng MOA) February did not come from us. It is from him [referring to Atty. Bragado],” she said.

Both stood firm that the decision to date the MOA in February was not theirs.

The Senate blue ribbon committee concluded its investigation of the matter after five rounds of hearings.

READ: Senate blue ribbon panel stops probe into DepEd’s ‘pricey, outdated’ laptop buy

/MUF/abc