MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of criminal charges against former Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones and 13 others over the controversial PHP2.4-billion laptop procurement for public school teachers at the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

In a 106-page resolution dated July 4, the Ombudsman found probable cause to file charges under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019), as well as for falsification and perjury, against several former DepEd and Procurement Service–Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) officials.

Among those charged are DepEd officials Annalyn Sevilla, Alain Pascua, Salvador Malana III, Abram Abanil, Marcelo Bragado, Alex Ladanga, and Selwyn Briones; and PS-DBM officials Lloyd Christopher Lao, Jasonmer Uayan, Ulysses Mora, Marwan Amil, and Paul Estrada.

Also included in the complaint is Froilan Demongo, representing the joint venture of Sunwest Construction and Development Corp., LDLA Marketing and Trading, Inc., and VST ECS Phils. Inc.

The charges stemmed from a 2022 report by the Commission on Audit, which flagged the procurement of 39,000 laptops priced at PHP58,300 each. The laptops, meant to support public school teachers during remote learning, were alleged to be “outdated and overpriced.”

During a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry in the same year, DepEd and PS-DBM officials attributed the cost to a global shortage in electronic chips and increased demand for laptops due to work-from-home arrangements. (PNA)