Inquirer File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — Amid the furor over the purchase of overpriced computers, the Department of Education (DepEd) will investigate its 2021 acquisition of costly cameras.
DepEd spokesman Michael Poa said that the agency’s Public Affairs Service has already been assigned to look into the allegations.
“I have instructed the Public Affairs Service to investigate by requesting for 2019 procurement docs just to verify the type of cameras procured/purchased, specifically in the regions,” Poa told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
Poa issued his response after activist Renato Reyes tweeted a Facebook post of photographer Jhun Dantes, who shared a photo of a Canon DSLR camera allegedly purchased by the DepEd.
A sticker on the device showed a price tag of ₱155,929.
Similar models are sold for around ₱23,000 online, Reyes noted, showing a screenshot of the price of a camera on an online shopping app.
The original Facebook post has since been deleted.
After overpriced laptops, overpriced cameras naman? This was posted by a professional photographer who inquired why this entry-level camera apparently costs P155k while a similar model sells for P23k in Lazada. pic.twitter.com/jbMkTNVb7G
— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 31, 2023
He also said that the Public Affairs Service of DepEd does not use low-level cameras, which are not similar to the entry-level camera in the screenshot of the shopping app.
“Based on the photos that were posted, it is very difficult to identify if the person was showing two identical or even similar cameras to have made that comparison,” Poa said.
“The Public Affairs Service does not make use of entry-level cameras. Due to the coverage requirements, the camera procured and currently being used are Mark IV which is not comparable to the entry-level camera shown to in the Lazada photo,” he continued.
On Jan. 19, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee recommended the filing of graft and corruption charges against former Department of Budget and Management procurement service head Christopher Lloyd Lao and some former and present officials of the DepEd over the “overpriced” laptops bought in 2021.
It also recommended the recovery of P979 million in the procurement of the laptops.