Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

House Assistant Majority Leader Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon is calling for an inquiry into what he described as the "rigged" bidding of laptops and other electronic devices under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Computerization Program, specifically during Vice President Sara Duterte's tenure as agency secretary. 

Bongalon, a vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, raised during the DepEd’s budget hearing on Monday, Sept. 2 the possible irregularities in the two biddings for the procurement of P8 billion worth of laptops. 

“Sa madaling sabi po, Madam Chair, rigged po ‘yung bidding (In other words, Madam Chair, the bidding was rigged)," Bongalon told presiding officer Davao de Oro 1st district Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora. 

"And I would like to manifest, Madam Chair, this warrants an in-depth investigation probably in a proper committee after this budget hearing,” said the member of the "Young Guns" bloc in the House of Representatives. 

The appropriations panel has been handling the per agency budget deliberations. Attending Monday's hearing was DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, who took over from Vice President Duterte only last July 19. 

Bongalon suspected that there was an alleged “conspiracy” behind the bidding of P8 billion worth of laptops and other related equipment for public schools. 

“I would just like to say na may conspiracy na naganap. Imagine, nag-bidding na, and it’s all favorable to the government, tapos nagre-bidding naging 1 percent yung variance [in the price]. Hindi po ba yun malaking kuwestiyon sa DepEd family?” Bongalon asked. 

(I would like to say that a conspiracy took place. Imagine, a bidding took place, and it’s all favorable to the government, then a re-bidding took place with a 1 percent variance in the price. Isn't that a huge question to the DepEd family?) 

“Sa madaling sabi dito, Madam Chair, tumaas ang presyo ng laptop (So in other words, Madam Chair, the prices of the laptops went up) and it is because of the conspiracy of the people behind this bidding of laptops,” he said. 

Bongalon told Angara that he may not be able to answer his questions as he would raise concerns about the procurement of laptops and other equipment for public schools in 2022 and 2023. 

DepEd Undersecretary Gerard Chan said in his response to Bongalon that during the first bidding, only two out of the 16 lots up for biddingwere awarded, while the 14 other disqualified bidders were allowed to bid again in a re-bidding. 

Bongalon said that as per information received by his office, a 24 percent variance was recorded during the first bidding. He was surprised to learn that during the re-bidding, the variance went down to only 1 percent, which resulted in the government losing as much as P1.6 billion. 

“I raise these concerns because probably there is an irregularity in the procurement. And there are personalities involved at mayroon pong nakialam dito, yun po ang paniniwala ko (and somebody meddled with this, that's what I believe),” said the Ako Bicol solon. 

“Kasi nagkaroon na po ng bidding. Ang hindi ko po maintindihan, bakit hindi natin tinuloy? Sayang po ng P1.6 billion na mase-save po ng ating gobyerno. Sabihin na lamang natin na ang laptop is worth P100,000, ilang laptops na po ang mabibili nun?” he said. 

(A bidding was held. What I don't understand is, why didn't we go forward with it? The government lost P1.6 billion in potential savings. Let's just say that the laptop is worth P100,000, how many laptops would that be able to purchase?) 

“So I want answers, Madam Chair, from the Department of Education kung sino po ang mga personalidad during that time (as to who were the personalities at that time),” Bongalon stressed.