Ombudsman backs Marcos' call to amend 'disadvantageous' procurement law

Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Tuesday expressed support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s call to amend the Procurement law, saying the existing system in place puts the government at a disadvantage. 

“There is indeed a need to revisit the procurement law. The bond requirement must be studied carefully. It increases the price of supplies and equipment to the prejudice of the government,” Martires said in a statement in response to the Chief Executive's call for such during his second State of the Nation Address on Monday.

Martires said that if a government agency needed to purchase a vehicle with a market price of P1 million, the cost for the government agency would be pegged at P1.2 to P1.4 million due to the bond.

"Isn't that insane?" Martires pointed out.

In addition, Martires said the procurement law is becoming a lucrative source of income for corrupt government officials and that the Procurement Services unit of the Department of Budget and Management  (PS-DBM) should be abolished.

“The law creating the PS-DBM must be repealed. This office becoming a source of creative government officials who want to increase their earnings," Martires said.

“It is about time we abolish PS-DBM,” Martires added.

Back in March, Ombudsman Martires placed at least 23 PS-DBM officials under preventive suspension for six months over alleged anomalous procurement of pandemic supplies in 2020 and 2021. 

Among those suspended was Overall Deputy Ombudsman Warren Rex Liong, formerly the procurement group director of the Department of Budget and Management - Procurement Service (PS-DBM) allegedly involved in the following purchases:

• 8,000 units of BGI Real Time Fluorescent RT-PCR kits totalling P600 million covered by Purchase Order (PO) No. PO20-00210-CSE dated April 23, 2020
• 2,000 units of A* Star Fortitude RT-PCR Test kits worth P688 million covered by PO No. PO20-00211-CSE dated April 23, 2020
• 41,400 units of BGI Real Time Fluorescent RT-PCR kits amounting to around P2.87 billion covered by PO No. PO20-00286-CSE dated June 9, 2020

Martires, however, is okay with the Auditing Code as it is.

"I leave it to the Chair of COA (Commission on Audit) who in my opinion is doing good. I leave it to Chair Cordoba, the Commissioners, and the auditors, who are the experts in this field," he said.

“But if you want to quote me, I am satisfied with the present auditing code. I have no complaint,” he added. —VAL, GMA Integrated News