By Alexandria Dennise San Juan
The Department of Education has sought the assistance of the police to trace the stolen government-issued laptops, and has asked the public to report or surrender them or face charges of theft of government property.
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonora Briones and QCPD District Director Joselito Esquivel foil illegal online sale of four DepEd-issued laptop and warns of legal action versus theft of government property in a press briefing at Camp Karingal in Quezon City on Tuesday ( ALVIN KASIBAN/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The announcement came after a joint special operations group of the Education department and Quezon City Police District personnel foiled an illegal online selling of a DepEd-issued laptop in an entrapment operation earlier this month.
QCPD Director Joselito Esquivel Jr. said members of DepEd, QCPD Special Operations Unit, and Fairview Police Station (PS-5) carried out the operation against a suspected seller of a DepEd-owned laptop.
The blue Corby laptop, which was distributed to public schools nationwide as part of the DepEd Computerization Program (DCP) package, was posted at a marketplace section of a social media site for P11,000, far from its original price of more than P39,000.
With this, the department's Information and Communications Technology Service (ICTS), with its Central Security and Safety Office (CSSO), immediately coordinated with the QCPD to devise a plan to entrap the seller.
A DepEd employee posed as a buyer of the laptop and met with the reseller of the laptop identified as Salvacion Marco, 27, inside a mall in Novaliches who accompanied her to the store where the item was displayed.
The poseur-buyer confirmed that it was government property upon seeing the visible DepEd logo and the same logo appearing upon startup.
The laptop also bore the distinguishing blue color intended for all items under the DCP package.
When he handed the money, operatives immediately apprehended Marco and her co-seller identified as Jellyn Gabito, 30.
Meanwhile, a manhunt is on against the supplier of the said laptop identified only as certain "Ganda," Angelo Diata, who posted the item online, and the store owner store identified as Alberto Galcim.
Further investigation showed that the recovered item was the laptop that was stolen from a teacher in Tabuk, Kalinga last August 2, 2018.
DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, who was also present in the press briefing at the QCPD Headquarters in Camp Karingal yesterday said that the incident was only among the at least 17 reports of stolen DepEd-issued laptops all over the country.
In 2017, the DepEd chief said they have distributed at total of 462,114 ICT equipments to 35,241 public schools nationwide as part of the procured P9 billion budget for DCP.
She also expressed her gratitude to the QCPD for their assistance and quick response to the report.
"If you will notice a computer that is obviously a government property, obviously belonging to the learners of this country, please surrender it now. These are for the students and teachers of our country. The budget came from the money of the taxpayers," Briones said.