DBM: Officials tied to overpriced laptops case removed

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) confirmed on Saturday that officials from its Procurement Service implicated in the procurement of allegedly overpriced laptops are no longer in office.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered the filing of criminal charges against former Education Secretary Leonor Briones and 13 others for their involvement in a PHP2.4 billion laptop purchase during the pandemic.

Former Procurement Service officials Lloyd Christopher Lao, Jasonmer Uayan, Ulysses Mora, Marwan Amil, and Paul Armand Estrada were also implicated in the case.

DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman pledged full cooperation with the Ombudsman's legal proceedings and emphasized transparency as a priority for her department.

The Commission on Audit had previously flagged the Department of Education's purchase of over 39,000 laptops priced at PHP58,300 each through the Procurement Service in 2022.

In its resolution dated July 4, the Ombudsman found probable cause to charge Briones and other officials for violations including graft, falsification, and perjury.