Ex-DepEd chief Briones faces graft, falsification raps over laptops

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of graft and falsification charges against former education secretary Leonor Briones and several other former officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (PS-DBM) in connection with the purchase of P2.4 billion worth of allegedly overpriced and outdated laptops in 2021.

In a 106-page resolution dated Dec. 2, 2024 but released to the media only yesterday, the ombudsman found probable cause to file a case for violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against Briones and six other former DepEd officials – former undersecretaries Annalyn Sevilla and Alain Pascua, former assistant secretary Salvador Malana III, former DepEd directors Abram Abanil and Marcelo Bragado and former executive assistant Alec Ladanga.

Also ordered charged with graft were former PS-DBM executive director Lloyd Christopher Lao, former PS-DBM officer-in-charge director Jasonmer Uayan, former PS-DBM bids and awards committee chairman Ulysses Mora and former BAC members Marwan Amil and Paul Armand Estrada.

In the same resolution, Briones, Lao, Sevilla, Bragado, Malana, Uayan and Ladanga were also ordered charged with falsification by public officers under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

The ombudsman also found probable cause to charge Lao, Sevilla and Uayan with perjury under Article 183 of the RPC.

The DepEd under the previous administration was flagged by the Commission on Audit for the procurement of “pricey” and “outdated” laptops worth P2.4 billion in 2021 for supposed distribution to public school teachers amid the distance-learning setup brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Briones, in a text message yesterday to The STAR, said she is consulting with her lawyers.

“(We) will follow legal procedures,” Briones added.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) welcomed the ombudsman order.

“This development is a vindication of what teachers, watchdog groups and even the Commission on Audit have raised, that billions of pesos intended to aid public school teachers in adapting to remote teaching were wasted, misused and ultimately weaponized for profit,” the ACT said in a statement.

It added that teachers were forced to borrow laptops, spend their own salaries or use outdated equipment to fulfill their duties under impossible conditions.

“This is a gross betrayal of public trust and a direct attack on the welfare of our teachers and learners,” ACT said.