Marcos claims DBM-PS tapped 'strange' suppliers to purchase medical supplies in 2020

Senator Imee Marcos on Thursday claimed that the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS) had accredited “strange” suppliers for the procurement of medical equipment during the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

In an ANC interview, Marcos named four suppliers that were allegedly tapped by the DBM-PS for the medical equipment supply, including one construction and development corporation.

“There are all sorts of strange suppliers clearly the DBM-PS accredited people that we’ve never heard of before,” she said.

“Of course, pinakanamamayagpag sa lahat, Sunwest Construction, bakit ‘yung building at construction na kumpanya, biglang nagiging medical equipment supplier. Nakakapagtaka talaga. A really strange list,” she added.

(The firm that stood out was the Sunwest Construction. Why does a building and construction firm suddenly became a medical equipment supplier. That is really suspicious. A really strange list.)

Apart from the Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation, Marcos said the DBM-PS accredited the following firms:

•     Bowman Technologies, Inc.
•     Nikka Trading
•     Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation

In Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation alone, the lawmaker said more than P9 billion worth of contracts was awarded by the DBM-PS.

She further questioned the compliance of the company to the procurement rules set by the law.

“For that company...it has no record...in medical supplies, no background or track record for capacity. Kasi may (There should be a previous) single largest contract, you should’ve had a huge contract in the past to justify giving an even larger contract in the present,” Marcos said.

“But there’s no past kasi ang bago-bago ng kumpanya kaya nakakapagtaka (the company was established just recently. That is why we are curious about it),” she added.

According to Marcos, Pharmally was incorporated in 2019 and it has declared P9 billion worth of awarded negotiated government contracts in its sales.

GMA News Online has sought for DBM officer-in-charge Tina Rose Canda’s comment on Marcos’ claims but she said she will issue a response later today after attending a hearing in the House of Representatives.

Marcos was one of the senators who questioned the transfer of P42.4 billion funds to the DBM-PS for the procurement of personal protective equipment including the face masks and face shields in 2020.

Lawmakers also questioned the absence of a memorandum of agreement on DOH’s transfer of funds to the DBM-PS for the procurement of medical supplies.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and former DBM-PS chief Christopher Lloyd Lao tried to justify the transfer of funds sans the MOA.

Nevertheless, Duque said they will just craft and sign the MOA with DBM-PS as recommended and guided by the Commission on Audit.—Hana Bordey/AOL, GMA News