Dominguez to look into proposals to abolish PS-DBM, PITC

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Wednesday said his office will look into proposals to abolish two government agencies involved in the procurement of medical supplies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Senate hearing, Dominguez said proposals to abolish both the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (PS-DBM) and the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) are worth considering.

“I believe it’s worth looking at. I believe all agencies in government, all agencies should be regularly reviewed for possible abolition in the same way we do in the GCG,” he said.

He was referring to the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), where the Finance Secretary sits as a member.

This comes as Senator Imee Marcos filed two bills seeking the abolition of the PS-DBM and the PITC, citing the “systemic corruption” in the said agencies.

Under its mandate, the PITC engages in both export and import trading of new or non-traditional products and markets that are not normally pursued by the private business sector.

It is also tasked to provide a wide range of export-oriented auxiliary services to the private sector.

Meanwhile, the PS-DBM is mandated to purchase, warehouse, and distribute items for resale to agencies of government, including government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs).

Marcos earlier said the two agencies have outlived their usefulness, and instead posted a “miserable track record.”

Dominguez said he has yet to review the propositions, but that he will look into them. — BM, GMA News