The Commission on Audit (COA) recently slammed the Department of Education (DepEd) after discovering that there are over 3.4 million books and a huge number of learning materials just idling at the agency’s warehouses – and these cost the government at least Php113 million!
The books and learning materials were intended for distribution to public schools across the country and have been procured as far back as 2014 but were simply stocked and idling in these warehouses.
While there are many public schools across the country struggling with lack of learning materials, stacks of these were just rotting away in ill-maintained warehouses of the Education Department.
Based on the 2018 annual audit report on DepEd, 440,591 of the idle materials were procured in 2014, 1.6 million were procured in 2015, 1.2 million in 2016, and 128,111 in 2017. These amounted to Php113 million.
Of the buffer stocks the DepEd bought from 2014 to 2016, records showed that only 15.77% have been released. Most of these were sent as replacement to lost or damaged textbooks in typhoon-damaged areas.
Photo credit: PhilStar
According to the COA officials, procurement of these idling, unused books fall under Irregular, Unnecessary, Excessive, Extravagant and Unconscionable expenditures.
COA is now asking DepEd to provide an explanation why these learning materials remain undistributed. The state auditors also want DepEd management to provide a valid reason why it won’t be issued a Notice of Disallowance for wasting government resources on these books.
Dilapidated Warehouses?
The COA report also stated that many of the books are stored in bad conditions inside dilapidated warehouses with no electricity due to non-payment of bills.
“The warehouses are in very poor condition. These are not well maintained, are dirty, and full of dust and spider webs. The warehouses are not well ventilated due to absence of exhaust fans or insulation materials that will prevent fire,” COA reported.
What’s worse, security around these warehouses is scarce, with only two security guards assigned to the area.
Moreover, no DepEd personnel are in the area to keep the place clean and organized. In fact, there is no proper inventory of the stocks inside the buildings.
“As per inquiry with the warehouseman, the piling, stacking, and pulling out of stocks are done manually due to lack of the proper tools and equipment,” the COA report added.
In response, the DepEd management promised to evaluate its buffer stocks and revisit existing guidelines on procurement of books and learning materials to prevent this from happening again.
Nung kakatapos na bagyong Rosita sa probinsya namin Kung saan tinamaan Ang dpwh building at daming namatay,Yung apat na schools dun sa barrio,na wash out..maghanap pa kami NG mga donors for books.butinna lng at nag donate Ang National bookstore,pero kulang pa rin,tas depend andaming hoarded books.anong klaseng agency Yan,madamot.kaya bagsak Ang learning system nio..Ang gagarapal at andamot nio.
Hindi binanggit kung anong klaseng mga books. Dahil kung mga EDSA revolution era books yan dapat sunugin na lahat yan. Walang matututunan ang mga students diyan kundi panay kasinungalingan
Some groups are making money here! 1. In most cases, the Department, any Deoartment in regards to purchase if materials are more cincerned if making purchases, whether useful or not but doing it for the sake if getting a budget and being aboe to picket some amount for theur personal gain. 2. The incoming newly appointed officials do not want to use the books ir any supplues, purchased by the past officials becayse they want to make their own purchases to show that they have .better deas and more classy than their predecessors. But in realuty, their intention is to maie their own cutts. 3. One thing for sure is that the publishers who can make strong connections with the Department heads make mist if the money having sold so many volumes of books or other materials and giving some srt of tongs to the department heads and the supply officers. This practice has been going on since time immemorial.
Nice
OMG. What are these books doing in the Warehouse??? These should be distributed to different schools. DEP what are you doing!!!???