Rigged? Probe sought on P1.6-B DepEd laptop bid

After being grilled last Monday by a House panel on its proposed budget for next year, the Department of Education (DepEd) may now have to brace for an investigation on alleged “rigged bidding” for laptops and other electronic devices when the department was still headed by Vice President Sara Duterte.

- DELON PORCALLA

The alleged anomaly may have cost taxpayers some P1.6 billion, according to House Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon, vice chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, who raised the call for an investigation after revealing the alleged irregularity during Monday’s hearing on DepEd’s proposed P793.18-billion budget for 2025.

“There seems to be a conspiracy in the bidding of laptops. Imagine, there was already a bidding, and it’s all favorable to the government. Then suddenly, there was a rebidding where there was a one percent variance. Is this not a big question for the DepEd family?” Bongalon said.

“In other words, the prices of laptops have soared, and it is because of the conspiracy of the people behind this bidding of laptops,” Bongalon, who is part of the so-called “Young Guns” in Congress, said. “In short, that was a rigged bidding.”

“I would also like to manifest that this warrants an in-depth investigation, probably in a proper committee after this budget hearing,” Bongalon told Davao de Oro Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora, who was presiding over the hearing on behalf of committee chairman Rep. Zaldy Co.

The Co panel readily granted the motion of Batangas Ssecond District Rep. Gerville Luistro for the issuance of a subpoena to DepEd officials and members of its Bids and Awards Committee, among others.

Education Undersecretary Gerard Chan explained that during the first bidding, only two were awarded out of the 16 lots raised for bidding. The 14 disqualified bidders were allowed to join the rebidding.

Bongalon said that according to information received by his  office,  a 24 percent variance was recorded during the first bidding, which was why it was a shock that the variance went down to as low as one percent during the rebidding.