A GROUP advocating transparency and good governance asked Education Secretary Leonor Briones to look into reports that several DepEd inspectors have been given free trips to China by one of their bidders.
The Filipino Alliance for Transparency and Empowerment said it received reports that Multifocus, a DepEd supplier sponsored a junket to China for some DepEd inspectors to check the “cabinets for bidding.”
“We are calling the attention of our good Secretary Briones to investigate the report. We will start our own investigation. This should stop at once,” the group said in a statement.
The group asked if the DepEd inspectors involved change the specifications to accommodate the bidder and demanded that the supplier divulge details of the trip.
Earlier, Multifocus Corp. threatened to file charges against the DepEd Bids and Awards Committee for alleged inaction on its complaint. Multifocus Corp. claimed to have lost P1.5 billion in various contracts at DepEd.
The company accused the Bids and Awards Committee of alleged inaction on its complaint to censure a fellow supplier.
The DepEd is one of the government agencies bombarded with complaints from losing bidders.
But Buhay Partylist Rep. Lito Atienza, a former Manila mayor and former DENR secretary, said he has had his share of companies threatening to blackmail or sue, because they felt that the bidding was rigged.
He added that while it may be a hassle to the government agency it will give them a chance to prove its transparency.
Atienza said winning bidders and governmet officials should not allow such threats to hamper government projects, saying public service should not be delayed because of a complaint by a losing company.
“It gives the department a chance to prove their transparency. And I hope they will not get sidetracked by these instances. Just go on with the project especially if it will involve the students,” he said.
Reports said Multifocus had initiated efforts to sideline its competitors.