Former Department of Education (DepEd) secretary Leonor Briones on Thursday denied she is hiding following reports the agency allegedly procured overpriced laptops during her term.

During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s initial hearing on the P2.4-billion laptop procurement which was flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA), Briones particularly addressed blogs and other online articles claiming she is hiding or being evasive about the issue.

Briones pointed out she is currently performing her duties as director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH).

“People are wondering. A blog came out and it was widespread claiming ‘hanapin yan si Briones’ implying na si Briones ay nagtatago (‘look for Briones’ implying she is in hiding’),” Briones told members of the panel chaired by Sen. Francis Tolentino.

“Siguro, karamihan sa inyo, alam niyo naman ang aking career sa gobyerno. Ako ngayon ay director ng (Maybe, most of you, would know my career in government. I am currently director at) SEAMEO INNOTECH. This is a regional facility which is hosted by the Philippines with 11 member countries in Southeast Asia,” she said.

Briones was selected and eventually appointed for the position last June 21, 2022.

“So we service not only the Philippines on issues on education but also the rest of Southeast Asia. So thank you for this opportunity for me to come out and say I’m not hiding under somebody’s bed,” Briones said.

“I am as visible as I can be; I am very involved in international debates as well as concerned in developments in the Philippines,” she further said.

Briones also defended the agency’s decision to seek the help of the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Services (DBM-PS) in purchasing the laptops which were originally intended to aid students in the transition for blended learning at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The former education secretary said the practice of government agencies helping each other out in procurement has been in place since the time of the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

Briones said the DepEd decided to allow the DBM-PS to procure the laptops for them because the DBM-PS specializes in those type of huge allocations.

“We passed on or endorsed the project to them, because though we do have a BAC (Bids and Awards Committee)...we need a huge BAC for this huge allocation,” she explained.

At that time, Briones said they agency was also preparing to resume in-person classes under a new normal and has no time to look into various suppliers.