Congress to probe reported computer, textbook scam in DepEd

KABATAAN Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon has called on the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture to investigate the reported computer and textbook scams that pilfered billions of pesos in taxpayers’ money through overpriced contracts entered by the Department of Education (DepEd) during the Arroyo administration.

Following the lead of an exclusive report from News5, Ridon filed House Resolution No. 1188 to call on Congress to conduct an inquiry in the alleged scam.

According to an exclusive report by News5 last May 28, the education department under the leadership of then DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus transacted with three companies, namely Merryland Publishing Corporation, Vicarish Publication and Trading, and Book on Wheels, to procure computers and textbooks from 2008 to 2010.

In the televised report, an unnamed informant said that the contracts entered by DepEd cost billions of pesos, with Merryland Publishing being able to grab a total of P2.8 billion in educational material contracts, Vicarish Publication a total of P1.3 billion, and Book on Wheels a total of P1 billion.

The informant in News5’s report claimed that the said publishing companies overpriced the textbooks supplied to DepEd. While the said companies priced textbooks at around P200-P300, the actual cost should only be somewhere between P50 to P100 due to the cheap materials used.

The informant also alleged that some companies also failed to deliver hundreds of millions worth of educational materials to schools, thereby further increasing their profits from the anomalous deals.

Two unnamed DepEd undersecretaries are also allegedly involved in the scam, and are the receiving large kickbacks in return. The unnamed undersecretaries allegedly manipulated the public bidding for the said educational materials to ensure that the contracts for the projects will be awarded to the aforementioned publishing companies.

More alarmingly, DepEd also allegedly ordered overpriced computers from Merryland Publishing Corporation, with each computer set costing a total of P400,000.

“The configurations of the said computer sets were already obsolete even during that time. And no person in his right mind would procure an outdated PC set for almost half a million pesos,” Ridon said, referring to the specifications of the computer set, which has an Intel Pentium IV processor and Windows 98 operating system.

According to Philippine-based technology news site Yugatech, the P400,000 paid for the said computer set can already buy “four 27″ iMacs, three top-of-the-line gaming notebooks, two 6-core with dual GPU Mac Pro, or even a decent automobile.”

Ridon also pointed out that this is not the first time that Merryland Publishing Corporation got involved in a scam involving the procurement of overpriced computers.

“In fact, Merryland President Jessie Garcia is implicated in an ongoing case in the Sandiganbayan involving the alleged anomalous procurement of information technology packages by DepEd between 2002 to 2006 using the P25-million Priority Development Assistance Fund of former Bacolod congressman and incumbent Mayor Monico Puentevella,” Ridon said in HR 1188.

“Even as shortages and budgetary constraints continue to hound basic education, we have unscrupulous government officials who continue to plunder resources that ought to have gone to our striving students,” Ridon said.

“The alleged computer and textbook scam should be duly investigated to ensure that public funds will serve the interest of students and not continue to funnel into the pockets of corrupt government officials,” Ridon added.

The post Congress to probe reported computer, textbook scam in DepEd appeared first on Remate.

.. Continue: Remate.ph (source)

Congress to probe reported computer, textbook scam in DepEd