ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro on Saturday urged the Senate to directly file charges against current and former officials of the Department of Education and Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management responsible in the purchasing of overpriced laptop for teachers.

Castro said the Senate can be of more help to teachers inconvenienced and short changed by the P979 million laptop DepEd-PS-DBM deal by not just recommending the filing of administrative and criminal charges against senior officials of both departments.

“Senators can themselves file charges against these officials so that they know the Senate is serious in stamping out corruption,” Castro said.

She added if senators do not want to file charges, then they can at least assist the teachers who want to do so.

“Also though we welcome the Senate committee report on this issue, we believe that former DepEd Sec. Leonor Briones should also be charged for signing a pro forma Memorandum of Agreement without even reading it,” she explained.

The solon stressed Briones’ action is considered as gross neglect of duty, costings billions of taxpayers’ money and burden for teachers.