MANILA, Philippines — Surigao del Sur second district Rep. Johnny Pimentel has accused a former official of the Department of Education (DepEd) of soliciting commissions in the agency’s school building programs.

At a hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability on Thursday, Pimentel said former DepEd undersecretary Epimaco Densing III was asking for kickbacks from members of the chamber for the agency’s projects in their districts.

He cited that some P180 million in funds was already included in the National Expenditure Program but “upon bidding, it was recalled.”

“Prior to the bidding, this Mr. Greg Murillo, who is a close friend of Mr. Densing, called me. He asked ‘how are you’ then revealed that our district only has a budget of P170 million,” Pimentel recalled.

Pimentel claimed he informed Murillo that the project was already scheduled for bidding, but Murillo told him that Densing wanted to have an audience with him.

“He (Murillo) told me that I must talk with Densing. Right there and then, I already knew that Mr. Densing will ask for a commission,” he noted.

The lawmaker added he did not entertain Densing anymore, but “the funds did not come through.”

The bidding, he underscored, was canceled “because I did not come across to the request of Mr. Densing who is asking for commission.”

Densing has denied the accusation, maintaining that it was a “blatant lie.”

ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro called for a thorough investigation into Pimentel’s allegation.

“If these allegations hold true, it is essential that we conduct a full-scale investigation to uncover the truth behind these claims,” she said.

Castro added that lawmakers “owe it to our educators, students and the entire nation to ensure that the education sector is free from corruption and malfeasance.”

Another DepEd official has confirmed receiving cash envelopes during Vice President Sara Duterte’s tenure as education secretary.

At the same House committee hearing, DepEd director and former Bids and Awards Committee chairman Resty Osias confirmed that cash envelopes changed hands at the agency during Duterte’s term.

He said he received four envelopes containing P12,000 to P15,000 on four occasions in 2023.

“I must say, I thought it was a common practice in the department. The very first time I encountered that matter was sometime in April of 2023,” he noted during an interpellation by Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano.

Osias added that he received the envelopes from April to September 2023 through former DepEd assistant secretary Sunshine Fajarda.

“I didn’t know why I was summoned to the office of ASec. Shine. And then, I was given an envelope. It was later on I found out there was money in it,” he maintained.

Osias’ statement corroborated an earlier testimony of former DepEd undersecretary Gloria Mercado that she received nine envelopes from Fajarda containing P50,000 each while she was DepEd’s head of procurement entity.

Mercado recalled that the envelopes were first given to her sometime in October 2023 “as the likelihood of a bidding failure for DepEd computerization had become apparent.”

The official said she never took them because she was “uncomfortable.” She said she left the envelopes in a pouch in her office. — Marc Jayson Cayabyabpgbet

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