Resignation of Deped officials engaged in the botched laptop transaction

Two Department of Education employees involved in the provision of administrative services have tendered their resignations, but one undersecretary made it clear that the action was unrelated to the controversy surrounding the agency's laptop purchases.

Late last year, the Senate held hearings on DepEd's purchase of allegedly overpriced laptops, and the influential Senate Blue Committee ultimately recommended filing charges against DepEd and other government agency officials who approved the purchase. Will this be about the controversy or not?

DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Kris Ablan confirmed in a message to Philstar.com that he left his position on April 28; however, Ablan claimed that the reason for his departure "has nothing to do with the laptop or Transpac reports of Rappler."

"In due time, I will answer point by point the issues raised by those reports in order to clear my name," Ablan added.

Ablan is one of the two DepEd officials mentioned in reports released by Rappler on May 1 that revealed, among other things, the department's unpaid fees to logistics partner Transpac Cargo Logistics Inc., which it hired to distribute DepEd technology and materials worth billions of dollars nationwide.

Christopher Lawrence Arnuco, the assistant secretary in charge of administrative services, has also resigned, according to a second source.