THE Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of graft and falsification charges against former Education Secretary Leonor Briones and several other officials over the procurement of PHP2.4 billion worth of allegedly outdated laptops for public school teachers in 2021.
In a 106-page resolution dated July 4, the Ombudsman also recommended similar charges against former Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) head Lloyd Christopher Lao, private respondent Froilan Domingo, and several top officials from both DepEd and PS-DBM.
Among those named from DepEd are Undersecretaries Annalyn Macam Sevilla, Alain Pascua, Alec Ladanga; Assistant Secretary Salvador Malana III; Directors Abram Abanil and Marcelo Bragado; and Administrative Officer Selwyn Briones.
From PS-DBM, the officials include OIC Director Jasonmer Uayan, Procurement Officers Ulysses Mora, Marwan Amil, and Paul Armand Estrada.
The Ombudsman also directed the filing of perjury charges against Lao, Sevilla, and Uayan, while dropping similar complaints against Pascua and Malana.
The controversial deal was flagged by the Commission on Audit in 2022 for purchasing overpriced and outdated laptops during the shift to remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Senate Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry, led by former Senator Francis Tolentino, later concluded its probe after five hearings.