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Publish Date : 17-Jul-2015

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto has announced that CONGRESS has appropriated P6.56 billion over the last two years for the procurement of science and math equipment 'but not even a single peso worth of equipment' has been purchased as of end of June.

Recto then asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to step up its purchase of science and math equipment after a report presented to the Senate showed that not one delivery has been made to the 38,689 schools, which were supposed to get them as early as 2014.

The senator noted that the invitation to bid for contracts to be financed by the 2014 budget was slated to be posted on 9th June 2015, "or six months past the year within which they should have been purchased."

For the last year, he said, P2.56 billion was approved in the national budget for Grades 1 to 3 science and math kits for distribution to 38,689 schools.

Recto said a further P4 billion was appropriated in 2015 for equipment to be distributed to Grades 4 to 6 math and science classes in 27,919 schools.

He said, "On both counts, there is zero accomplishment."

Recto said the DepEd might have sound reasons for the delay "but considering the fact that the delivery is now two school openings late then they ought to have fixed whatever bugs there are by now."

He said, "They may have discovered that the quality of the goods being offered is below par or the process followed was not compliant with procurement laws. Or probably there were no interested parties. The challenge hence is to avoid further delay, accelerate the acquisition, and learn the lessons well so delays will not happen in the future."

The senator added, "Let us aspire for the ideal that when classes open in June, new science and math equipment are already waiting for the students."

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