Manila: The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Saturday that all officials from its procurement arm, the Procurement Service (PS), implicated in the purchase of allegedly overpriced laptops are no longer in office.

According to Philippines News Agency, the DBM issued the statement after the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the filing of criminal charges against former Education Secretary Leonor Briones and 13 others for their supposed involvement in the procurement of laptops worth PHP2.4 billion for public school teachers at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other personalities tagged in the overpriced laptop deal were former PS-DBM officials Lloyd Christopher Lao, Jasonmer Uayan, Ulysses Mora, Marwan Amil, and Paul Armand Estrada.

DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman pledged her full cooperation with the Ombudsman, following its decision to file graft charges against former officials of the PS-DBM. "We respectfully acknowledge the Ombudsman's decision and are committed to supporting their legal proceedings. Transparency is our priority at the DBM. Therefore, should the Office of the Ombudsman require any assistance related to this matter, we will fully cooperate," Pangandaman said in a statement.

Under its current leadership, the DBM is actively reforming and digitalizing the country's procurement system to enhance accountability, transparency, and efficiency. In 2022, the Commission on Audit flagged the Department of Education's purchase of more than 39,000 laptops priced at PHP58,300 each through the PS-DBM.

The Ombudsman, in a 106-page resolution dated July 4, found probable cause to charge Briones and other officials for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, falsification, and perjury, in connection with the purchase of outdated and overpriced laptops in 2021.