The proprietor of a small-sized supply business in Dumaguete City has threatened to divulge alleged irregularities and unfair practices at the provincial Bids and Awards Committee.

Supplier George Ong, proprietor of the Negros Oriental Metal Glass and Aluminum, expressed frustrations over what he claimed to be unfair treatment by BAC of small-time suppliers.

Ong was one of at least 80 suppliers of the provincial government present at a forum Tuesday held at the Negros Oriental Convention Center to discuss alleged irregularities at the BAC.

Ong said they have to wait for several months before they can receive payment, because of misplaced or loss of their documents, and adding that he knows of more discrepancies at the BAC, especially during the bidding process, but he refused to divulge them.

He said he will report all information he knows directly to the office of BAC chairperson and provincial budget officer Marichu Alpuerto.

FORGED SIGNATURE

The  owner of SLK Contruction  Supply,  Leuven Dequito,  also raised his  complaint  before  the BAC, claiming that his  signature  was  falsified in one  of  the biddings  conducted  by  the  province.

The BAC Secretariat  should  implement  strictly a mandate  not  to  socialize  too  much  with  the suppliers, to prevent  any doubt  from the  public, some of those present at the forum suggested.

Provincial secretary and BAC member Geoffrey Villahermosa admitted  at the  forum  that  they have  encountered  problems with the forging of  signatures, during  the shopping as one of  the alternative methods of  procurement.

This  is  applied  only  to small  value  procurement   but it  has  a limit of  P51,000 to P500,000, he said.

Villahermosa said they are now  trying  a system  of asking  the  supplier  to  fill  up  the  shopping form, and  submit it through a sealed  envelope  directly to  the  Secretariat.

The envelope will only be opened during the actual bidding with the envelopes of other suppliers.  This would prevent any chance of corruption and anomalies, Villahermosa said.

Alpuerto said  all  the  complaints and  suggestions  were  properly recorded, and  she  vowed to  discuss these during  their meeting. The BAC and  the  Provincial Attorneys’ Office  will conduct  an in-depth investigation  on  the  allegations  presented, she also said.

Alpuerto said she is expecting Ong to fulfill his promise to report  to her in detail all  the  alleged anomalies during  the  bidding.

Meanwhile, provincial legal counsel, Erwin Vergara, said  he  will investigate and  identify  the  people  who forged of  the  signature  of  the SLK  owner.

Vergara  said  the unsigned anonymous  letters received  by  his  office  were instrumental  in  the effort towards fair and transparent transaction in the  government.

The Bids and Awards Committee of the province recently conducted an orientation-conference on the revised Implementing Rules and Regulation of Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Act.*MA

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