Education Secretary Eduardo “Sonny” Angara —Inquirer photo/Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) is advancing its procurement reforms and ensuring the integrity of its bidding process, according to its chief, Sec. Eduardo “Sonny” Angara.

Angara underscored the importance of these reforms during the first-ever Suppliers’ Summit, recently held at Century Park Hotel, Manila. During the event, 250 suppliers and service providers convened to discuss procurement improvements, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution.

“Sa ating mga suppliers at bidders—hindi lang kayo negosyo. Kayo ay kaagapay po natin sa reporma. Wala nang dahilan para maantala. Green light na—para sa mas maayos na procurement, para sa dekalidad na edukasyon,” Angara said in a statement on Saturday.

(To our suppliers and bidders—you are not just a business. You are our partners in reform. There is no reason to delay. Green light now—for better procurement, for quality education.)

READ: DepEd hastens procurement process for 2025

The agency explained that it has launched the Suppliers’ Registry, a key initiative aimed at directly connecting suppliers and service providers to market opportunities within the education department and to “expedite the delivery of learning resources to schools nationwide.”

“The registry [https://suppliers.deped.gov.ph/] allows businesses to register their products and services, receive bid alerts, and communicate directly with DepEd. By streamlining market participation, it seeks to eliminate inefficiencies and reduce bureaucratic delays in procurement transactions,” it added.

For her part, Undersecretary for Procurement and Finance Oversight Rowena Ruiz disclosed that DepEd has already awarded P1.9 billion worth of DepEd Computerization Program projects—64,000 laptops and smart TV packages and P864 million worth of learning resources, consisting of 87 million modules and 74,000 tablets as of March 2025.