Tolentino: Procured laptops for teachers sold in Cebu store for P10,000

Senator Francis Tolentino on Saturday said he received reports that laptops procured for teachers to facilitate distance learning at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were being auctioned in a store in Cebu for P10,000.

Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which looked into the Department of Education's (DepEd's) P2.4-billion laptop procurement deal, said there were reports that some of the “outdated and pricey” procured laptops were being sold in a Cebu surplus store.

“Napakakomplikado na ng mga issue. Gaya ngayon, ang laman ng mga balita ngayon sa Cebu yung mga ilang laptops ay binebenta na sa mga auction [stores] sa Cebu,” Tolentino said in a radio interview.

“Kung alam niyo yung HMR auction, may mga post na ngayon na nakakarating sa akin may balita isang pahayagan sa Cebu na P10,000 na lang yung halaga. May sticker pa nung agency, pero yan ang pinaguusapan ngayon sa city of Cebu,” he added.

As to what were the possible implications of these reports, Tolentino said, “Ako nga naguluhan eh. Kasi ngayon lang nakarating sa akin ‘yon. Tapos na yung hearing so ibig sabihin nasa secondary market na. Nandoon na sa naging P10,000 na lang ngayon. At saka hindi mo pwedeng ibenta yun dahil pag-aari ng pamahalaan yun.”

Tolentino said they would wait for the memoranda of the involved parties before the release of the committee report after the Senate terminated the hearing on Thursday.

Despite these reports, the senator said they would not reopen the investigation as the hearings were already finished.

“Hindi na, tapos na eh, buo na yung kaso. Ano na lang ito, mga kung may nangyari tapos na bahagi na rin ng malaking storya,” he added.

In its annual audit report on the agency for 2021, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged DepEd for purchasing P2.4 billion worth of laptops through the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM-PS) when there were cheaper and better options in the market.

The purchase of more expensive laptops than the ones in the budget resulted in the procurement of fewer units, depriving over 28,000 teachers of the benefit, COA said.

The state auditors also said that 1,678 out of the over 2,000 laptops remained in the stock room as of August 2022.

Tolentino, meanwhile, was dismayed over the non-distribution of the laptops, saying this could have benefited thousands of students. — DVM, GMA News