Graft raps vs Diokno, BSP officials over P1.75B nat'l ID deal sans public bidding

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno and Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) officials have been sued for graft  and violation of Government Procurement Act over the alleged granting of P1 .75 billion contract to a private firm without public bidding for the implementation of the national ID system.

In a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, Ricardo Fulgencio IV of Stop Corruption Organization of the Philippines, Inc. accused Diokno and other BSP officials of requiring the bidders—including winning bidder Allcard International—to procure raw materials such as diffractive optically variable image device (DOVID) materials and polycarbonate sheets from a firm identified as OVD Kinegram, giving the latter undue advantage in the process.

Fulgencio said Section 6, Paragraph A (e.) page 9 of the Terms of Reference of the contract reads “Coordinate with Kinegram on the arrangements to be made for the delivery and supply of the DOVID (in rolls or in sheets) and its compatible raw materials directly from Kinegram to the BSP for the production of 116 million pieces of pre-personalized PhilID cards.”

“[The] respondents’ act of requiring the bidders to procure their raw materials from OVD Kinegram AG effectively gave the latter, a private party, unwarranted benefits.  The respondents’ preference to Kinegram deprived other DOVID suppliers of the opportunity to bid for the project and robbed the government of getting the most advantageous terms for the supply of such raw materials,” the complaint read.

“Clearly, this is a corrupt practice. Henceforth, it is respectfully prayed before this Honorable Office that after the requisite preliminary investigation, criminal informations against the herein respondents be filed before the Sandiganbayan,” the complaint added.

Aside from Diokno, named as respondents were Prudence Angelita Kasala, Rogel Joseph del Rosario, Carl Cesar Bibat, Marianne Santos, Salvador del Mundo, and Giovanni Israel Joson.

“Evidently, public officers conspiring with private bidders to employ schemes which tend to restrain the natural rivalry of the parties to stifle or suppress competition and thus produce a result disadvantageous to the public are criminally liable,” the complaint added.—AOL, GMA News