PALO, Leyte — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday clarified that the laptops featured in Education Secretary Sonny Angara's recent social media post were distributed during his tenure, following online claims that the photographs used were from the previous administration.

In an official statement, DepEd said the photo was taken on 11 September 2025 during the ceremonial distribution of laptops at Mayuga Elementary School in Southern Leyte.

The clarification came after Angara's Facebook post announcing the distribution of laptops to four public schools in Eastern Visayas drew skepticism from teachers and netizens, who noted that the teachers in the photos were wearing the previous DepEd-prescribed uniform introduced during the tenure of then-Education secretary and now Vice President Sara Duterte.

Some social media users speculated that the distribution took place under the previous administration and questioned why more recent photos were not used.

DepEd said those assumptions were incorrect.

"The teachers were wearing the previous prescribed DepEd uniform because the mandatory implementation of the new DepEd uniform only took effect in June 2026. At the time the photograph was taken in September 2025, the old uniform remained the prescribed attire for DepEd personnel," the department said.

It also stressed that the laptops shown in the photograph were distributed during Angara's tenure and that the teachers' attire should not be used as the basis for determining when the activity took place.

"The attire of the teachers should not be used as a basis for determining when the distribution occurred, as the uniform policy in effect at that time was still the previous prescribed uniform," DepEd added.

In his original post, Angara said laptops had been distributed to Mayuga Elementary School in Southern Leyte, Bacyaran Elementary School in Samar, Monterico Integrated School in Ormoc City, and Arado Elementary Schoolin Leyte.

The photos showed five teachers from each school receiving laptops, although the post did not specify when the turnover ceremonies were conducted.

DepEd urged the public to verify information through official sources and exercise discernment before sharing or drawing conclusions from posts circulating on social media.