ROXAS: DEPED OFFICIALS NOT YET OFF THE HOOK IN NOODLE SCAM

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today said erring officials involved in the multi-million pesos noodle procurement project of the Department of Education remains liable despite the suspension of the undertaking.

"Ang lahat ng pananagutan ay nandiyan pa din," said the chairman of the Senate education committee investigating the allegedly overpriced contract, whose bidding was likewise supposedly tainted with irregularities.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has suspended the execution of the questionable noodle procurement contract with JEVERPS Manufacturing Corp. and has ordered a review of the entire School-Feeding Program of the department.

This is the second anomalous multi-million pesos government contract that got cancelled because of Senate investigations initiated by Roxas. The first was the P1.4-billion dredging machine contract awarded by the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) that got cancelled even before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee started its own investigation into allegations of bid rigging exposed by Roxas in a privilege speech.

Roxas said his committee would closely monitor the results of the review of the DepEd contract.

"Hihintayin ko kung ano ang magiging resulta ng kanilang review bago malaman kung ano ang susunod na hakbang," he said.

He added: "Masaya naming tinatanggap ang desisyon ni Secretary Jing Lapus na suspindihin itong kontrata sa noodles na pinasukan ng DepEd. Sa dami ng mga tanong, natutuwa kami na ang DepEd mismo gagawa ng sarili nilang review at hindi nila itutuloy itong kontrata na ito."

He said that had Lapus failed to act timely on the anomalous transaction, "ako mismo magpa-file ng kaso laban dito", stressing the instant noodles procured by the department were grossly overpriced. The JEVERPS noodle packages for the SY 2009-2010 cost P22/100 grams.

Noodle manufacturing companies testified during the hearing that regular noodles sold in sari-sari stores cost only P6/grams, or P12/110 grams.

Roxas also noted there is no clear proof to show noodles acquired by the department were more nutritious compared to the regular noodles, or if claims that they were fortified with fresh eggs and malunggay were true.

The Visayan senator announced he would defer his committee's inquiry into the anomaly but warned the DepEd against bungling its review.

"Napakarami ng ating kabataan na hindi nagpapatuloy ng kanilang pag-aaral dahil gutom sila o di kaya walang insentiba na pumasok. Lalo na dito sa mga food-deprived provinces, 'yung mga pinakamahirap na lalawigan, ay hirap na hirap talaga ang ating mga kabataan na pumasok. Kaya mas mabuti kung aayusin ng DepEd ang trabaho nito," he said.