Tolentino summons PS-DBM execs who signed DepEd laptop price analysis report

Senator Francis Tolentino wanted  other members of the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (PS-DBM) who signed the price analysis document for the laptops purchased for the Department of Education to be present in the next Blue Ribbon hearing.

The document was presented with the supplier’s quotation of unit price and total amount during the hearing Thursday.

Tolentino, Blue Ribbon panel chairman, directed the committee secretary to invite those who signed the document including Sharon Baile, Procurement Division officer-in-charge, to explain the said report.

However, the document was signed by James Gabilo on behalf of Baile.

“So James Gabilo is the deputy of Ms. Sharon Baile. We direct the committee secretary to likewise invite Mr. Gabilo, baka pareho na rin ito sa SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration) na walang authority to sign,” he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian asked Engineer Marwan Amil, who is the project manager in charge of the Planning Division of the PS-DBM and also signed the document, if he personally checked if the laptop suppliers are registered under Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS).

Amil admitted that he did not and just assumed that the suppliers are PhilGEPS registered.

“Since, they are always supplying PS-DBM (with) laptops, I think they are registered with PhilGEPS,” he said.

“Let’s put on record that you did not personally check if these suppliers are PhilGEPS suppliers or not, you just assume that they are PhilGEPS suppliers,” Gatchalian said.

In its annual audit report on the agency for 2021, state auditors flagged DepEd for purchasing the P2.4 billion worth of laptops through the DBM-PS when there are cheaper and better options in the market.

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