Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar announced that the public will be able to witness bidding activities via online streaming of DPWH procurement processes.
Secretary Villar ordered to broadcast DPWH procurement process on livestream via social media platform or thru official website in order to avoid irregularities, whenever the relevant committee is required to convene or meet.
“In the past, we are concentrated on the duly authorized observers and engagement of accredited civil society organizations as monitors of the procurement proceedings, this livestreaming efforts create the feeling for any interested people of being there”, Villar said.
Born of the necessity for transparency and accountability in the public service pursuant to Administrative Order No. 34 issued by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the tool allows anyone to watch on screens and examine procurement process under Republic Act No. 9184 or Government Procurement Reform Act and its revised implementing rules and regulations, added Villar.
Under Department Order 105 issued by the Secretary, all implementing offices shall ensure transparency in the procurement of infrastructure projects by posting on official website and/or social media platforms the following information: a) project name; b) approved budget for the contract; c) contract period; d) name of winning bidder and its official business address; e) amount of contract awarded; f) date of award and acceptance; and g) implementing office/unit/division/bureau.
The Public Works Department’s recent move was in direct response to a statement issued by Senator Panfilo Lacson, who said last Friday that he would uncover some “skeleton projects” that are no better than ghost projects when he questions government officials about the proposed 2021 national budget.
“The President says he hates ‘ghost’ projects. ‘Skeleton’ projects couldn’t be any better. Will show some when I interpolate [sic] on the 2021 national budget,” he said in his Twitter account.
Lacson did not explain the difference between “skeleton” and ghost projects, however.
The senator posted his tweet after the President told a Cabinet meeting Thursday that “partial delivery” and “ghost projects” were among the most common practices hounding the infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
While the President told corrupt DPWH personnel to resign or face charges, he went out of his way to clear Secretary Mark Villar of wrongdoing.
On Friday, Villar said he blacklisted at least 25 contractors who are now barred from doing business with his department—the highest number in the past 20 years.
“Let this be a warning to our contractors that this administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is serious in its anti-corruption drive and will not tolerate those who bagged big amounts of civil works contracts but deliberately violate the law for personal gains,” Villar said.
Contractors who violate the terms and conditions of contracts may face blacklisting or be suspended from participating in any government project in accordance with existing laws and policies.
As an administrative sanction, the blacklisted contractor is prevented from participating in all government projects for a period of one year based on the implementing rules and regulations of the Government Procurement Reform Act.
On Jan. 31, 2020, Villar blacklisted St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor & Development, which has P8.861 billion worth of contracts for various projects,for the delay in implementation of a building project in Indang, Cavite.
Syndite Construction Corp., which had P5.58 billion in project contracts, was suspended Sept. 6, 2018, for a year for failing to deliver in the construction of a flood control system in Cagayan.
Although thousands of public works projects are being undertaken, systems are in place in the Department to ensure that these contracts are stringently monitored and safeguarded from any negligence, Villar said.
Villar introduced a monitoring system using drones and geographic-based status reports with the progress of the projects confirmed via satellite photography or geotagging to counter ghost projects.
On Friday, the Department of Justice-led Task Force Against Corruption said it has received about 10 complaints of corruption in government agencies since it activated its operating center on Thursday.
Justice Menardo Guevarra said task force would still need to sort them out and identify the agencies concerned.
Guevarra said member agencies of the task force are not exempt from investigation of misdeeds by their officials and employees.
He added that they are aware that the credibility of the task force hinges to a great extent on the ability of the member agencies to clean their own respective backyards.
The task force earlier said it has set parameters to determine which allegations would be considered.
A minimum threshold of P1 billion in public funds involved will be one of those parameters.
On the list are allegations of irregularities in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Department of Public Works and Highways, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Land Registration Authority.
The group, headed by the Department of Justice, is composed of the National Bureau of Investigation, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, Office of the Special Assistant to the President, National Prosecution Service, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
On Thursday night, Duterte urged officials and employees involved in ghost projects at the DPWH should resign now.
“Resign now because when time comes, I will throw the book at you, even the kitchen sink, and you will be prosecuted administratively and criminally [and you] will be not forgiven,” Duterte said .
Duterte said regional directors were mostly behind ghost projects.
The President also named more than 20 officials and employees of the Bureau of Customs who have either been dismissed or suspended on various charges.
Meanwhile, information technology infrastructure are now being readied by DPWH procuring offices to swiftly ensure that the policy is implemented right away.
Also, the DPWH procurement goes online amid the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing contractors in the procurement of civil works contracts to conduct submission and receipts of proposed bids.
Villar implemented the new electronic process thru Department Order 87 in September 2020 to streamline the delivery of public service while ensuring safety, health, and welfare of both the Department’s personnel and the contractors doing business with the agency.
“More importantly, the decision to move the DPWH procurement process online is intended to lessen human intervention in receiving bids and therefore reduce the avenue for graft and corruption”, said Villar.
In this set-up, bidders are encouraged to directly submit through email their bids in the Department’s procurement activities to the Head of the BAC Secretariat of each Procuring Entity, which has a dedicated email addresses assigned.
Contractors are advised to refer to the Department Order 87 published on the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph for the respective emails of the procuring entities in the Central Office, Regional and District Engineering Offices and for more detailed instruction of the new online bidding system.