Cayetano: Delay in purchase of laptops for teachers defeated purpose of Bayanihan 2

The delay in the procurement of laptops for teachers by the Department of Education (DepEd) under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act defeated the law's purpose to aid the education system in switching to hybrid learning at the height of the pandemic, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said on Thursday.

During the second hearing on September 8, 2022 of the Blue Ribbon Committee on the purchase of overpriced laptops by the DepEd and the Procurement Services-Department of Budget and Management's (PS-DBM), Cayetano lamented how the two agencies took more than a year to deliver the laptops to the teachers from the time of Bayanihan 2's passage.

"September 11, 2020 hanggang December 2021 - so y'un ang definition ng 'urgent' ng DepEd? Ang urgent sa inyo, aabutin ng mahigit isang taon?" Cayetano said.

He said regardless of the price of the laptops and the flaws in the bidding process, it is clear that millions of Filipino youth are suffering from the delays.

He also said while Senate committee hearings are held in aid of legislation, reforms should not start only after a law is passed but when the people see that government officials are being held accountable for their acts.

Bayanihan 2, which was approved on September 11, 2020 by the House of Representatives under Cayetano's leadership as House Speaker at the time, allotted a total of P4.35 billion to DepEd, of which P2.4 billion was used by the Department to buy laptops for teachers.

"Did the DepEd show a sense of urgency sa P4 billion na binigay sa inyo?" the Senator asked, adding that it was the department that asked for the funds from Congress in the first place.

Tracing the timeline, the Blue Ribbon Vice Chair questioned certain points in the process which he said were factors that led to the delay.

For one, he said it does not make sense that DepEd had to transfer the work to the PS-DBM since it had five Bids and Awards Committees (BAC) of its own at the time of Bayanihan 2.

"Kung may lima kayong BAC at may P500 billion kayo [na pondo sa departamento], bakit hindi niyo ma-bid ang P4.2 billion?" he asked.

When DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla said the Department only had one month left to finish the procurement before the lapse of Bayanihan 2, Cayetano reminded her that Bayanihan 2 had been extended another year during the time DepEd decided to pass the work to PS-DBM.

He also said DepEd had no excuse with regards to the deadline because the agency could have begun the bidding even with the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) still being processed.

"September 12 pwede na kayong mag-bid, pero hindi niyo ginawa hanggang wala ang SARO, alam niyo namang pwede," he said.

Cayetano also questioned the inclusion of regional DepEd directors as recipients of the laptops.

"Very clear 'yan sa Bayanihan 2: 'yang mga laptop na 'yan para sa mga lugar na walang wala talaga. Eh anong ginawa niyong distribution, sinimulan niyo sa regional director pababa?" he asked.

The Senator reminded the two departments of the clear instructions of then-President Rodrigo Duterte in his 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA) for agencies to simplify their processes.

"I am just really upset that this all happened under a law that was supposed to help you help our students," he said.

Cayetano: Mabagal na pagbili ng laptop para sa mga guro taliwas sa layunin ng Bayanihan 2

Dahil sa bagal ng Department of Education (DepEd), nawalan ng silbi ang pondong ibinigay dito sa ilalim ng Bayanihan 2 para matugunan sana agad ang pangangailangan sa hybrid learning, pahayag ni Senador Alan Peter Cayetano nitong Huwebes.

Sa ikalawang pagdinig ng Blue Ribbon Committee sa ginawang pagbili ng overpriced na laptops ng DepEd at Procurement Services-Department of Budget and Management's (PS-DBM), binigyang-diin ni Cayetano na inabot ng mahigit isang taon bago maibigay sa mga guro ang mga laptop.

"September 11, 2020 hanggang December 2021 - so y'un ang definition ng 'urgent' ng DepEd? Ang urgent sa inyo, aabutin ng mahigit isang taon?" wika ni Cayetano.

Pahayag niya, overpriced man ang mga biniling laptop o hindi, at anuman ang iba pang anomalya sa proseso ng bidding, klaro pa rin na milyun-milyong kabataang Pilipino ang nagdurusa dahil sa delay.

Dagdag pa niya, bagama't nagsasagawa ng mga pagdinig ang Senado bilang dagdag na tulong sa paggawa ng mga batas, hindi na raw dapat hintayin pang makapagpasa ng isang batas bago magkaroon ng reporma.

Sa halip aniya, dapat nagsisimula na agad na magkaroon ng mga reporma kapag nakikita ng taumbayan na pinapanagot ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno.

Nasa P4.35 bilyon ang inilaan para sa DepEd sa ilalim ng Bayanihan 2, na naaprubahan noong Setyembre 11, 2020 sa ilalim ni Cayetano bilang House Speaker. Ang P2.4 bilyon dito ay inilaan ng Departamento para sa pagbili ng mga laptop para sa mga guro.

"Did the DepEd show a sense of urgency sa P4 billion na binigay sa inyo?" tanong ng Senador bago ipuntong ang DepEd mismo ang humingi ng pondong iyon sa Kongreso.

Itinuro ni Cayetano ang ilang mga bahagi sa buong proseso ng ginawang procurement na naging dahilan aniya kaya tumagal ito.

Isa dito ay ang desisyon ng DepEd na ipasa sa PS-DBM ang pagbili ng mga laptop, samantalang lima aniya ang Bids and Awards Committees (BAC) noong pinasa ang Bayanihan 2.

"Kung may lima kayong BAC at may P500 billion kayo [na pondo sa departamento], bakit hindi niyo ma-bid ang P4.2 billion?" tanong niya.

Nang sumagot si DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla na isang buwan na lang daw noon bago ma-expire ang Bayanihan 2, ipinaalala ni Cayetano na na-extend na hanggang sa katapusan ng 2021 ang batas noong ipinasa ng DepEd ang trabaho nito sa PS-DBM.

Dagdag ni Cayetano, walang dahilan para maging hadlang ang deadline dahil pwede namang umpisahan agad ng DepEd ang bidding kahit hindi pa lumalabas ang Special Allotment Release Order (SARO).

"September 12 pwede na kayong mag-bid, pero hindi niyo ginawa hanggang wala ang SARO, alam niyo namang pwede," pahayag niya.

Sinita rin niya ang pagtanggap ng laptop ng mga regional director.

"Very clear 'yan sa Bayanihan 2: 'yang mga laptop na 'yan para sa mga lugar na walang wala talaga. Eh anong ginawa niyong distribution, sinimulan niyo sa regional director pababa?" tanong niya.

Pinaalala din ng Senador sa DepEd at sa PS-DBM ang malinaw aniyang utos ng noo'y Pangulo Rodrigo Duterte sa kanyang 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA) sa mga ahensya na gawing simple ang mga proseso nila sa opisina.

"I am just really upset that this all happened under a law that was supposed to help you help our students," pahayag Cayetano.