MANILA - The services of the Department of Education (DepEd), especially the preparations for the opening of School Year 2023-2024, will not be affected by the recent suspension order by the Office of the Ombudsman against Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla, the agency's Undersecretary for Finance.
Sevilla is one of the 12 officials from DepEd and Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (PS-DBM) placed under a six-month preventive suspension without pay by Ombudsman Samuel Martires over the DepEd’s purchase of allegedly overpriced and outdated laptops for public school teachers in 2021.
In a Viber message, DepEd Spokesperson Undersecretary Michael Poa confirmed to reporters on Friday that they have already received the order from the anti-graft body.
"DepEd adheres to due process and shall abide by the said Order," Poa said.
"Meanwhile, the Department reassures the public of its unhampered services as we prepare for a safe and orderly opening of School Year 2023-2024," he added.
The Ombudsman’s order also included Alec Ladanga, former Executive Assistant IV of the Office of Usec. Sevilla; Marcelo Bragado, Director IV of DepEd's Procurement Management Service; and Selwyn Briones, DepEd's Supervising Administrative Officer.
However, Poa said Ladanga, Bragado, and Briones are no longer connected to DepEd.
In an 11-page resolution, the Ombudsman said his office found sufficient grounds to preventively suspend the officials for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and gross neglect of duty.
In its 2021 report, the Commission on Audit sought an explanation from the DepEd for buying PHP2.4 billion worth of “pricey” and “outdated” laptops for teachers.
The Senate Blue-Ribbon Committee also investigated the controversy and recommended abolishing the PS-DBM urging government departments, agencies, offices, and other instrumentalities to refrain from delegating procurement tasks and conduct their procurement process as an exercise of their fiduciary duty to be accountable for public funds appropriated for their respective offices. (PNA)
