Probe bares ‘ghost’ delivery of school desks in Central Luzon

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — Officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) regional office here and a supplier are now in hot water after investigation showed their alleged involvement in the ghost delivery of 9,871 tablet armchairs worth P7 million.

In a report, an ad hoc probe panel created by DepEd regional director Vilma Labrador said the armchairs were never delivered to four elementary schools in Guagua, Porac and Floridablanca towns even if the supplier, MIC MAC Manufacturing Inc., was paid P7,086,480 last June 11.

The supplier, the panel said, "intentionally falsified the signatures of 42 school principals and teachers in the Division of Pampanga, and intentionally submitted to (the DepEd regional office) fake memorandum receipts and delivery receipts."

The panel said it found "prima facie" evidence against members of the DepEd inspection and acceptance committee, including their certification that they had inspected and accepted the 9,871 armchairs only for the purpose of expediting the processing of documents necessary for payment."

The committee members, the panel said, merely used "random inspection" in determining the quantity of the 9,871 armchairs and "did not carefully examine" the memorandum and delivery receipts which the supplier had submitted.

The probe team was composed of DepEd regional legal officer Mariza Gonzalez as head, and superintendents Victoria Aguas of Tarlac and Raulito Moscoso of Zambales and secondary education chief Magdalena Roque as members.

The panel said Benny Ruy, manager of MIC MAC Manufacturing, blamed a new member of his staff for the falsified documents submitted to the DepEd regional office, but denied that the armchairs were not delivered.

The panel noted an alleged attempt by the company to cover up the alleged ghost delivery by coming up with another list of supposed school beneficiaries which differed from the DepEd-approved list.

The new list showed that 1,584 armchairs were delivered to schools in Bulacan and another 1,400 to Nueva Ecija.

The investigation, however, showed that MIC MAC used memorandum receipts twice for their collections and that DepEd officials never approved the schools in Bulacan and Nueva Ecija as beneficiaries.. — With Ric Sapnu