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ni ROSE NOVENARIO
SA ISANG construction firm binili ng Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) ang gadgets na nagkakahalaga ng P170 milyon, ayon sa 2020 COA annual audit report.
Nakasaad sa ulat ng COA, binili ng DICT ang 1,000 laptops, 26,500 tablets, ar 1,001 pocket wifi dongles mula sa isang kompanya na, ayon sa Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), ang negosyo ay “general construction.”
Dahil dito ay nanawagan si Infrawatch PH convenor Terry Ridon sa Ombudsman na imbestigahan ang isyu at isailalim sa preventive suspension ang mga opisyal ng DICT na responsable sa posibleng paglabag sa Republic Act No. 3019 o ang Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
“This transaction is not merely a whiff of corruption, but a good awful stench of corruption, clearly contradicting the commitment of President Rodrigo Duterte to stamp out corruption in his government. The Commission on Audit (COA) report has damning evidence enough to warrant the preventive suspension of all involved DICT officials,” sabi ni Ridon sa isang kalatas.
“Worse, it cornered a contract worth more than four times its December 2019 assets at P44 million, even if it did not have the expertise nor experience to provide IT supplies. This alone warrants the immediate preventive suspension of all involved DICT officials,” dagdag niya.
Giit ni Ridon, hindi suspendido ang procurement laws kahit sa panahon ng emergency o pandaigidigan pandemya man kaya’t ang mga patakaran kaugnay sa track record ng contractor gaya ng ebidensiya ng kahit isang pinakamalaking nakompleto niyang kontrata ay dapat mapatunayan.
“All told, all of these things show that DICT officials knowingly awarded the IT supply contract to its contractor even if it is not qualified nor legally entitled to be award such contract. Actual delivery nor fair prices are no excuses for granting such award in the first place. Be warned: may kalalagyan po tayo riyan pag hindi naipaliwanag nang tama ito.”
Inihalimbawa ni Ridon ang mga kaso ng MRT-3 maintenance contract bilang babala na hindi basta maaaring ikatuwiran ang emergency situation upang paikutan ang procurement laws para paboran ang “friendly contractors.”
“These cases are now in the Sandiganbayan. The DICT should show in this case how urgent or life-saving the rapid procurement of gadgets in order to justify the flouting of procurement laws,” aniya.
“All told, all of these things show that DICT officials knowingly awarded the IT supply contract to its contractor even if it is not qualified nor legally entitled to be award such contract. Actual delivery nor fair prices are no excuses for granting such award in the first place. Be warned: may kalalagyan po tayo riyan pag hindi naipaliwanag nang tama ito.”
Kaugnay nito, inihayag ni DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan na ang laptops at gadgets na binili para sa Digital Education Program (DEP) ng kagawaran ay bilang pag-ayuda sa local government units (LGUs) upang maipatupad ang ICT-enabled education lalo sa panahon ng CoVid-19 pandemic.
Ipinamahagi aniya ng LGUs ang ICT gadgets, na nanggaling sa DICT, sa student beneficiaries sa kanilang mga lugar
Kinompirma ni Honasan ang puna ng COA na sa isang construction firm binili ng DICT ang P170-M halaga ng gadgets at sinagot na aniya ng kagawaran ang isyu.
“The tablets and devices were procured through Emergency Cases of the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 9184 and awarded to Lex-Mar General Merchandise and Contractor (Lex-Mar), which the DICT found to be a technically, legally, and financially capable supplier,” aniya.
“While also engaged in the business of general construction, Lex-Mar is a wholesaler of office supplies and office equipment, including the supply of computer units and tablets. Recent financial statements also indicate that the bidder is capable of sustaining its operations, costs and expenses in the amount of ₱161,243,463.00 with its revenue or income of ₱169,758,900.00. This sufficiently shows that Lex-Mar is capable of generating sufficient funds and revenue through various types of activities.”
Nai-deliver na umano ng Lex-Mar ang lahat ng “inexpensive at reasonably priced items” para sa mga proyekto ng DICT na pruweba raw sa kalipikasyon ng supplier.
“Moreover, Lex-Mar was able to deliver all the inexpensive and reasonably priced items procured for the projects, and this fact further attests to the qualification of the supplier,” ani Honasan.
