Duterte wanted public bidding waived for pandemic purchases

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he wanted public bidding waived for  procurement of COVID-19 pandemic supplies due to supposed lack of supply as he justified awarding huge government contracts to Pharmally firm despite its small capital.

“In order to quickly address the lack of supplies, the emergency procurement process [is what we] needed because people are dying. I remember sabi ko nga, buy immediately, never mind bidding (I remember saying, buy them immediately and forego bidding),” Duterte said in a taped address aired on Tuesday.

He said the purchase of these supplies were transferred to DBM’s Procurement Services and Office of Civil Defense because the DOH is already short on manpower given the pandemic.

“Hindi nga nila kaya lahat, hindi nila kayang bilhan ang mask at equipment, wala silang (DOH cannot handle all these purchases of masks and equipment, they don't have the) manpower. They need other agencies to really function,” Duterte said.

“Hindi mabibili ang kailangan natin (They cannot buy what we need) because they were too busy in COVID-19 response,” he added.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and National Task Force Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez then both said that DBM’s purchases followed emergency bidding allowed under the Procurement Law.

“It was through negotiated procurement, Mr. President,” Duque said.

“We were able to buy supplies of good quality and with safety seal,” Galvez added.

The Procurement Law allows a negotiated procurement when there is “imminent danger to life or property during a state of calamity or when time is of the essence arising from natural or man-made calamities or other causes where immediate action is necessary to prevent damage to life or property, or to restore vital public services, infrastructure facilities and other public utilities.”

Duterte made the assertion days after Senator Richard Gordon played an RTVM footage showing Chinese businessman Michael Yang and the President having a meeting with Pharmally officials, the company being linked to alleged overpriced purchase of personal protective equipment, face masks, and face shields.

Prior to the release of the video, the Commission on Audit (COA) also flagged the Deparment of Health for undocumented transfer of P42 billion of pandemic response funds to the DBM for the procurement of personal protective equipment, face mask, face shield, among others.—AOL, GMA News