Comelec to spend P26M on ‘bib vests’ for BEIs

Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) and support staff at polling places will wear "bib vests" as uniforms during the May 9 elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will procure a total of 354,053 pieces of bib vests that will be printed with the PiliPinas logo and the initials "BEI."

The back portion of the bib will be printed with the poll body's name and the words "board election inspector."

LOOK: A sample of the "bib vest" that will be worn by BEIs on election day. pic.twitter.com/RPTID0IDuF

— R-A. Dioquino (@AicaDioquino) March 30, 2016

The bidding contract was priced at P26,553,975 or P75 a piece.

Bids and Awards Committee vice chair Rey Doma said that the Comelec was supposed to procure only 277,527 bib vests, but it was increased to include support staff.

Meanwhile, the Comelec said that it will also procure 6,158 collared shirts for its employees with a bidding contract of P1,231,600 for P200 per shirt.

Comelec will also procure collared shirts (in gray) that its employees will wear on election day. pic.twitter.com/1JNCCvD8d2

— R-A. Dioquino (@AicaDioquino) March 30, 2016

A pre-bid conference for the items was called on Wednesday afternoon.

Two companies so far bought bidding documents for the shirts. No group has acquired bidding documents for the bib vests.

The Comelec said that the opening of bids will be on April 13.

The poll body added it will require the winning bidder to deliver the uniforms in just 15 days after the awarding of the contract.

'Unnecessary'

The Comelec said the uniforms are necessary to better identify BEIs and the support staff on election day.

The procurement, however, was opposed by Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, co-chair of the joint congressional oversight committee on automated polls.

Pimentel scored the poll body for "not having the initiative" to save money.

@Koko_Pimentel re BEI aprons: Grabe'ng COMELEC 'di na alam anong gagawin sa pera. Pati uniform,wala namang clamor for that papasukan! @dzbb

— Nimfa R. Ravelo (@nimfaravelo) March 29, 2016

@Koko_Pimentel re COMELEC bibs,scissors,shirts: Love of country & fiscal prudence, dapat kusa sa kanila ang hindi mag-aksaya ng pera. @dzbb

— Nimfa R. Ravelo (@nimfaravelo) March 29, 2016

Election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections has repeatedly said that the Comelec must not push through with "unnecessary expenditure," money that it said could instead be allocated for additional allowance of the BEIs.

LENTE's Atty Caritos re: apron/bib for BEI: Kasayangan ng pera at panahon ng COMELEC. Ang dami pa nilang dapat asikasuhin. @dzbb

— Nimfa R. Ravelo (@nimfaravelo) March 29, 2016

'Dignity at work'

The Comelec, meanwhile, defended the procurement of the uniforms explaining that these will separate the poll workers from fixers at polling places.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez added that the uniforms would give poll workers a sense of "dignity" for the work that they are doing.

"If you're looking at making even the election workers aware of the dignity of what they are doing, then you are also creating another frontline in the battle against election fraud," Jimenez said.

"It's very important that if you're going to have people resisting the lure of money, for them to feel the dignity of the work they are doing, to feel proud of what they are doing," he added. "And if you have people who are attired properly, then you stand a better chance of actually instilling that."

He added that the Comelec has set aside funds for the benefits and allowances for the election workers. —ALG, GMA News