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Damaged Grade 2 Learning Materials Worth P25,213,511.10

Naireport sa mga pahayagan noong Agosto 2018 na ang mga Grade2 learning materials, textbooks at teachers’ manual na nagkakahalaga ng P25.2 Milyon ay napag alaman na nabulok sa warehouse ng Lexicon Press Inc. noong January 2017 at nadispose ang mga ito ng nagmamay-ari ng warehouse kahit walang inspeksyon na ginanap ang DepEd at COA.

Bakit nga ba nasa pribadong warehouse ang mga learning materials na ito gayong ang mga ito ay pag-aari na ng DepEd?

Last Quarter ng taong 2015 nang simulan ang procurement process para sa mga Grade 2 learning materials na ito. Iginawad sa Lexicon Press Inc. ang kontrata na nagkakahalaga ng P72,124,094.76 . Ang Notice to Proceed (NTP) ay itinakda noong February 29, 2016. Dahil ang contract completion period ay 90 calendar days, ang contract completion date nito ay May 29, 2016.

Sa panahon na ang mga learning materials ay kailangan nang ideliver ng Lexicon, nagkaroon ng kasunduan ang DepEd Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR) at Lexicon na huwag munang ideliver ang mga ito dahil ang refurbishment ng DepEd-BLR warehouse ay sinimulan pa lamang noong May 24, 2016. Sumang ayon naman ang Lexicon na manatili sa kanilang warehouse ang mga learning materials na walang karagdagang bayad na hiningi. Ang mga delivery receipts ay nagpapakita na ang mga aklat ay naideliver na, nainspect at natanggap na rin ng Central Office, DepEd BLR kahit ang mga aklat ay hawak pa rin ng Lexicon.

Ayon pa sa COA report, ang mga dokumento gaya ng Certificate of Completed (COC) Delivery dated July 19, 2016 na pirmado ng Chief Education Program Specialist at isa pang Director III ang nagsilbing katibayan upang makasingil ng bayad ang Lexicon. Ibinigay ng DepEd ang 90% ng kabayaran sa kontrata na nagkakahalaga ng P64,190,444.3 noong July 21, 2016 at ang natitirang 10% na retention rate ay naibigay na rin noong November, 26, 2016, makalipas ang 3 buwan na warranty period. Samakatuwid, 100% nang bayad ang DepEd sa Lexicon as of December 31, 2016. Nangangahulugan rin ito na naisalin na sa procuring entity (DepEd) ang accountability at liability at wala nang pananagutan ang Lexicon sa mga aklat.

Nadiskubre ng forwarding service provider, LBC Express na nabulok daw ang mga aklat dahil sa pagbaha bunga ng defective inside gutter at downsputs at nadispose na ng Lexicon Press Inc. ang mga nabulok na mga aklat dahil sa sanitation concerns. Verbal nila itong inireport sa BLR noong January 21, 2017. Ngunit hindi ito kaagad nabigyan ng pansin kung kaya’t February 9, 2017 na nagpadala ng tao ang BLR upang alamin at ivalidate ang report ng LBC. March 17, 2017 na rin nakapagsumite ng report ang BLR sa Assistant Secretary for Procurement, Project Management and Field Operations. Ayon sa kanilang total damage report, 820,682 na aklat ang nabulok at ito ay tinatayang nagkakahalaga ng mahigit P25.2 Milyon.

Ipinagtataka rin ng COA ang delayed na aksyon ng Assistant Secretary na sya ring chairman ng Disposal Committee dahil umabot ng halos apat na buwan upang aksyunan ang report. Ayon sa management’s comments sa COA, July 12, 2017 na nang magpadala ang Assistant Secretary ng mag iinspeksyon sa Lexicon warehouse.

Kung ating susuriin ang umiiral na batas, nakasaad sa sections 73 at 79 ng PD No. 1445 ang patakaran sa “relief from accountability and disposal of government properties”:

Section 73. Credit for loss occurring in transit or due to casualty or force majeure.

When a loss of government funds or property occurs while they are in transit or the loss is caused by fire, theft, or other casualty or force majeure, the officer accountable therefor or having custody thereof shall immediately notify the Commission or the auditor concerned and, within thirty days or such longer period as the Commission or auditor may in the particular case allow, shall present his application for relief, with the available supporting evidence. Whenever warranted by the evidence credit for the loss shall be allowed. An officer who fails to comply with this requirement shall not be relieved of liability or allowed credit for any loss in the settlement of his accounts.

Section 79. Destruction or sale of unserviceable property.

When government property has become unserviceable for any cause, or is no longer needed, it shall, upon application of the officer accountable therefor, be inspected by the head of the agency or his duly authorized representative in the presence of the auditor concerned and, if found to be valueless or unsalable, it may be destroyed in their presence. If found to be valuable, it may be sold at public auction to the highest bidder under the supervision of the proper committee on award or similar body in the presence of the auditor concerned or other duly authorized representative of the Commission, after advertising by printed notice in the Official Gazette, or for not less than three consecutive days in any newspaper of general circulation, or where the value of the property does not warrant the expense of publication, by notices posted for a like period in at least three public places in the locality where the property is to be sold. In the event that the public auction fails, the property may be sold at a private sale at such price as may be fixed by the same committee or body concerned and approved by the Commission.

Ayon pa sa Section 105 ng PD 1445, ang opisyal o kawani ng gobyerno na nagpabaya sa government property ay nararapat na mananagot:

“Every officer accountable for government property shall be liable for its money value in case of improper or unauthorized use or misapplication thereof, by himself or any person for whose acts he may be responsible. He shall likewise be liable for all losses, damages, or deterioration occasioned by negligence in the keeping or use of the property, whether or not it be at the time in his actual custody.”

Ayon pa sa COA, nag inspeksyon sila noong September 14, 2017 at napag alaman nila na ang warehouse ng DepEd BLR ay naglalaman pa ng mahigit dalawang milyon na textbooks at teachers’ manual. Ang mga ito ay ang mga naipon na buffer stocks mula CY 2013 – CY 2016. Tinatayang aabot pa sa mahigit P105Milyon ang katumbas na halaga ng mga ito na maaaring obsolete na o maaaring humantong din sa pagkasira sa loob ng bodega.

Sino nga ba ang may pagkukulang at karapatdapat na managot sa mga nangyaring ito na parang isinugal na pag-aaksaya ng kaban ng bayan habang nananatiling nagsasakripisyo ang mga guro at mag-aaaral na walang aklat. Mag-iisang taon na rin mula nang magpalabas ng official statement ang DepEd patungkol sa gagawin nilang aksyon sa report na ito ng COA. Sana naman ay mabigyan din ng kasagutan ang taumbayan sa mga isyung ito.

References:

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/13/18/coa-flags-deped-over-p252-million-in-damaged-textbooks

http://www.deped.gov.ph/2018/08/14/statement-on-the-grade-2-learning-materials-found-damaged-in-the-publishers-warehouse/
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/514511539741663709/text/LEAPS-CAAR-CY2017.txt?fbclid=IwAR2HCljgMDqicgRAD7L2xvpFp3kuUC7dbX5lVDcPYHoEyxDlMDEQUa175gM

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Margarita Lucero Galias

Margarita L. Galias began her career in education as a high school math and physics teacher in Immanuel Lutheran High School in Malabon City and Manila Central University, Caloocan City before serving as a public school teacher in Sorsogon City in 1995. She was a university scholar and graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Education, major in Math-Physics from De La Salle Araneta University. She also holds a master’s degree in Management, major in Administration and Supervision from Sorsogon State College. She is now currently employed in Mercedes B. Peralta Senior High School as a classroom teacher and a guidance counselor designate.

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