The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of charges against former Education Secretary Leonor Briones, former PS-DBM head Lloyd Christopher Lao, and several other DepEd and PS-DBM officials for their alleged involvement in the ₱2.4 billion overpriced and outdated laptop procurement for public school teachers in 2021.
Following investigations by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and audit findings from the Commission on Audit (COA), cases of graft, falsification of public documents, and perjury have emerged against the named officials.
The laptops were purchased at ₱58,300 each, significantly higher than the original budget of ₱35,000 per unit, and failed to meet DepEd’s technical specifications required for online learning use.
The Ombudsman flagged the transaction as irregular due to the absence of a formal Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DepEd and PS-DBM at the time of procurement.
It was estimated that the government lost nearly ₱979 million due to overpricing, with teachers reporting the laptops were too slow and ineffective for distance learning.
Other officials charged include DepEd Undersecretaries Annalyn Sevilla and Alain Pascua, and PS-DBM officers Jasonmer Uayan and Ulysses Mora, among others.
Several personnel were also suspended and dismissed from service for grave misconduct and serious dishonesty related to the procurement.
The laptop procurement controversy dates back to 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the Department of Education, through the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), acquired thousands of laptops intended for public school teachers shifting to remote learning.
The Commission on Audit flagged the laptops for being overpriced and underperforming, citing that the units were “too slow” and did not meet the minimum specifications for efficient use.
Originally budgeted at ₱35,000 per unit, laptops were procured at ₱58,300 each, reducing the number of units from the targeted 68,500 to just 39,583.
The controversy sparked a series of investigations, including hearings by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, leading to formal charges filed in 2025 by the Office of the Ombudsman.