The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered graft charges to be filed against former Education Secretary Leonor Briones and over a dozen officials over the purchase of overpriced laptops during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case involves a P2.4-billion deal made by the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2021 to buy laptops for teachers. These laptops were supposed to help teachers with online classes, but they turned out to be too expensive and not powerful enough for the job.
What went wrong?
- DepEd planned to buy laptops for P35,000 each but ended up paying P58,300 per unit.
- This meant fewer teachers (about 29,000) received laptops than originally planned.
- Similar laptops with better specs were available in the market for only P22,000–P25,000.
- The laptops delivered were found to be slow, outdated, and not suitable for online teaching.
What did the Ombudsman find?
In a 106-page report, the Ombudsman said there was “probable cause” to charge Briones and several others with:
- Graft (for causing losses to the government)
- Falsification of documents (for backdating an agreement)
- Perjury (for lying under oath during a Senate hearing)
The Ombudsman rejected earlier claims that Briones was just misled. Instead, they found that she actively approved decisions — such as inflating laptop prices and signing key documents without proper legal basis — to push the deal forward.
One major issue was the backdating of the agreement between DepEd and the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM). This document was supposedly signed in February 2021 but was actually signed in May. The backdating was used to justify the release of P2.4 billion in public funds.
Who else is involved?
Aside from Briones, six other officials were charged with falsifying the backdated agreement. Three officials, including former PS-DBM chief Lloyd Christopher Lao, were also charged with perjury for allegedly lying in their statements during the Senate investigation.
Public Reaction
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) welcomed the Ombudsman’s move, saying that justice must be served. They emphasized that the funds could have greatly helped teachers, especially at a time when the education system was already struggling.
“This is not just about money — it’s about failing teachers and students when they needed help the most,” ACT said.
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