Since the news broke, DepEd said many local government officials have reached out to help distribute the equipment. Photo by The EdLines using materials from Canva and DepEd.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced on September 10 that over 50% of the 1.5 million laptops, textbooks and other educational materials stored in the Department of Education (DepEd) warehouses since 2020 have been transported for distribution to schools across the Philippines.
The move comes amid growing concerns over the deteriorating condition of the long-stored items and the urgent need for educational resources in classrooms.
Angara said the agency has enlisted the support of the Philippine Air Force and local government units to expedite the process.
“With respect to the IT packages, I think over 50% have been removed from the warehouse,” Angara told the Senate Committee on Finance during deliberations on DepEd’s P793.18-billion proposed budget for 2025.
“With respect to the other items which are bigger, the furniture, I think we’re only at 10%. But those are the more challenging things,” he said.
The DepEd chief explained that the issue dates back to the term of former Secretary Leonor Briones in 2020 and 2021, when the agency contracted a logistics provider different from the supplier.
Since the news broke, Angara said many local government officials have reached out to the DepEd to help distribute the equipment.
Angara also announced reforms to prevent future logistical issues, including no longer using a separate logistics provider and engaging in early procurement activities to ensure timely delivery of educational materials.
“First of all, as a major policy, we are no longer adopting that innovation of having a separate logistics provider. I think it’s much simpler to divert to the old system where the winning bidder or supplier is the one who has to provide the delivery,” he said.
The move to distribute the stored items comes as DepEd seeks P12 billion in funding to provide computers and internet access to over 18,000 schools in the country.
