The Department of Education (DepEd) has no involvement in the procurement of the digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras that were previously tagged as allegedly overpriced, its spokesperson Michael Poa said on Monday.
In a statement, Poa said it was the local government unit (LGU) in Imus that provided the DLSR cameras to the School Division Office (SDO).
"DepEd did not have any participation or involvement in the procurement process of the subject cameras," he said.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, a professional photographer uploaded a photo showing that an entry-level camera owned by DepEd costs Php 155,929.
Bayan Secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. pointed out that the same brand of camera is sold for Php 23,000 only on the online shopping platform Lazada.
"DePed continues to call on netizens to be circumspect in their photos to ensure that no misinformation is propagated," Poa said.
Meanwhile, the DepEd spokesperson said that the department welcomes the report of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the overpriced laptops in 2021.
"The filing of cases against former and present officials of DepEd, as recommended by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, will be referred to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for evaluation and appropriate action," he said.
Poa added that there is a pending administrative case against one DepEd employee who is also involved in the procurement process of the laptop.
