DepEd Officials Not Yet Off The Hook In Noodle Scam

Sen. Mar Roxas shows Sen. President Juan Ponce Enrile sample of the overpriced 100/gram noodles DepEd bought from allegedly favored bidder during the hearing Tuesday last week into the agency’s noodle procurement project under its School-Feeding Program. The undertaking was suspended pending the results of a review ordered by DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus.

Senator Mar Roxas last week 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.
"Responsibilities is still there", said the chairman of the Senate education committee investigating the allegedly overpriced contract, which bidding was likewise supposedly tainted with irregularities.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has suspended the execution of the questionable noodle pro-curement contract with JEVERPS Manufacturing Corp. He 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 investigation Roxas initiated. The first was the P1.4-billion dredging machine contract awarded by the National Irrigation Authority (NIA). It was 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. "I will wait for the result of their review before making the next move", he said. He added, "We are glad to accept the decision of Secretary Jing Lapus to suspend the noodles contract which DepEd entered. Due to several questions, we are pleased DepEd will conduct the review and stopped the contract."
Roxas said, "Lapus failed to act timely on the anomalous transaction. "I, myself will file case against it. The instant noodles procured by the department were grossly overpriced," he stressed. The JEVERPS noodle packages for the SY 2009-2010 cost P22 per 100 grams.
Noodle manufac-turing companies testified during the hearing that regular noodles sold in sari-sari stores cost only P6 per 55 grams, or P12 per 110 grams.
Roxas also noted there is no clear proof to show noodles acquired by the DepEd 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.
In Aklan, school beneficiaries of the feeding program "Diyos Mabalos" sponsored, improved pupils’ attendance and weight. /MP