MANILA, Philippines — The overpriced camera that went viral on social media was donated by the local government unit of Imus, Cavite to its School Divisions Office (SDO), the Department of Education (DepEd) said in a statement Tuesday.
The DepEd was referring to the Canon DSLR camera seen in the now-deleted Facebook post of photographer Jhun Dantes and was shared by activist Renato Reyes.
The camera reportedly has a price tag four times over the original value of similar models.
A sticker on the device showed a price tag of P155,929, whereas similar models are sold for around P23,000 online, Reyes noted.
The DepEd said the camera was given by the local government of Imus City to the DepEd division office in Imus.
“The camera was given by the Local Government Unit to the SDO. DepEd did not have any participation or involvement in the procurement process of the subject cameras,” the agency said.
Overpriced laptops
The DepEd also said that one of its employees faces an administrative case over procuring overpriced and outdated laptops in 2021.
It added that the filing of cases against past and present agency officials, as recommended by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, will be referred to the Office of the Solicitor General for evaluation and appropriate action.
The Senate panel earlier recommended the filing of charges against Education Undersecretary Analyn Sevilla, Education Director Abran Abanil, and former Undersecretary Alain Pascua, among other officials from DepEd and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The DepEd also confirmed that some of its laptops were sold in a surplus store in Cebu.
It said the laptops were part of the agency’s computerization program but not among the alleged overpriced devices procured through the Procurement Service of the DBM.
“We are ready to receive the official BRC report from the Senate,” the agency said.
The department also said it has found another case of the failure on the part of a service provider to comply with its contract since the year 2021.
“We are currently exploring legal remedies and working on this issue,” it said.