DepEd starts hauling learning materials from logistics partner

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday said it has started hauling various undistributed learning materials from warehouses of Transpac Logistics a month after the agency filed a civil case against the logistics provider. 

DepEd said that it tapped Transpac in 2021 to provide them with logistics, warehousing, and tagging services for the learning resources from October 8, 2021 to June 30, 2022.

However, DepEd said Transpac failed to deliver the goods “completely and on time,” which prompted the agency to seek legal remedies after months of discussions with the firm. 

DepEd Undersecretary Michael Poa, in an ambush interview, said that among the learning resources that were stuck in Transpac’s warehouses were laptops.  However, he refrained from disclosing how much they all cost. 

“Ang nangyari dito, hindi na-comply ni logistics provider ‘yung obligation niya to deliver these supplies to the schools. Nangyari ‘to during the pandemic, sometime 2021, if I’m not mistaken. Because of that, na-tengga ngayon ‘yung mga goods either sa supplier o sa warehouse ng logistics provider. Bale nakuha niya sa supplier, nadala niya sa warehouse niya, pero hindi nadala sa mga schools,” he said. 

(The logistics provider did not fulfill its obligation to deliver these supplies to the schools. This happened during the pandemic, sometime 2021, if I'm not mistaken. Because of that, the goods were piled up either from the supplier or from the logistics provider's warehouse. The logistics provider was able to get the supplies from the supplier and brought them to the warehouses, but was not able to distribute them to schools.) 

Poa also said that DepEd has “partially terminated” its contract with Transpac because of the incident.

“We partially terminated the contract kasi internal namin gagawin ‘yun [because that will be done internally] under procurement rules and then we instituted legal proceedings,” he added. 

DepEd noted in a statement that it partially terminated its contract with Transpac on August 30, 2023, per Republic Act No. 9184 or the Procurement Law.

The legal proceedings, meanwhile, were instituted by DepEd on November 22, before the Regional Trial Court in a bid to recover the goods that were in Transpac’s possession. 

The agency said it received a letter from Transapc in the first week of December, “suddenly informing DepEd that it may now haul the goods stored in its warehouses.”

“Therefore, our Regional and Division offices have immediately started hauling the goods. The DepEd aims to completely haul and deliver the goods to our public schools in the next few weeks,” the agency said. 

DepEd also pointed out that the issue was “not a simple case of unpaid warehouse fees.” 

“Payment to providers may only be done upon the fulfillment of obligations and corresponding  submission of complete documentation as required by accounting, auditing, and other pertinent rules and regulations for the disbursement of funds,” it explained.—LDF, GMA Integrated News