#laptop mess

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has concluded that the Department of Education (DepEd) and PS-DBM laptop deal was overpriced by at least Php 979 million, leading them to recommend criminal and administrative charges against those involved. The Senate panel report, released on Thursday, stated that based on evidence — including the findings and recommendations of the Commission on Audit (COA) — the overpricing had reached an amount of at least Php 979 million for the procurement of more than 39,000 laptops during the height of COVID-19 in 2021. "The procurement process for the laptops, intended to support remote learning of students during the pandemic, was conducted by the PS-DBM supposedly upon the request and authority of the DepEd. Senate panel absolves ex-DepEd secretary Leonor Briones Despite the long list of criminal charges, the Senate panel cleared former Education Secretary Leonor Briones of any involvement in the laptop mess. CONTEXT: COA flagged DepEd’s purchase of ‘outdated and pricey’ laptops worth Php 2.4 billion Last year in August, DepEd sparked controversy over its alleged laptop deal worth Php 2.4 billion, whereas the Commission on Audit (COA) in its 2021 Annual Audit Report (AAR) flagged the laptops as overpriced as well as being outdated. The primary concern of the teachers who were supposedly the beneficiaries of the deal was that the laptops were slow, considering they only had an Intel Celeron chip inside. Read more in our articles including "Senate panel concludes DepEd laptops overpriced by Php 979M" and "Banks, e-wallets face new BSP rules on digital payment fees".