Sandro Marcos files bill banning relatives of public officials from getting gov't contracts

Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos has filed a bill prohibiting the relatives of public officials from entering into government contracts.

Marcos, the House Majority Floor Leader and son of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., filed House Bill 3661 on August 13, or two days after the Chief Executive bared that 15 contractors cornered 20% of the more than P500 billion worth of flood control deals across the country.

The copy of the bill was released on Monday.

“This measure is simple but crucial: to strengthen accountability and ensure integrity in public service,” Sandro Marcos said.

“Government funds are meant to serve the Filipino people, not to enrich relatives or perpetuate undue advantage.  By closing this loophole, we take another step toward a government that is fair, transparent, and truly for the people,” he added.

Sandro’s bill defines public officials as heads of agency, heads of procuring entity, members of governing board, or any public officer or employee exercising policy-determining, supervisory, or managerial functions, whether in the career or non-career service, including military and uniformed personnel, whether or not they receive compensation, regardless of amount.

The bill is looking to ban relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity from securing government deals.

On the other hand, the bill defines a government contract as any contract between a private entity and any government agency or instrumentality, including government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs) and local government units, that pertains to the following:

• supplies, materials, machinery, equipment, and services
• infrastructure projects
• joint ventures
• public-private partnership projects; and other similar or analogous agreements or undertaking to which the latter is the procuring party, partner, shareholder, implementing agency, end user, or a party contributing public funds or property.

The bill, however, excludes contracts that are highly technical, proprietary, or confidential in nature.

“We owe it to every taxpayer to safeguard every peso. This is what genuine public service demands,” Sandro added.

In his State of the Nation Address, Marcos said that he would go after those who profited from irregularities connected to flood control projects.

Since then, the House and the Senate have launched their respective investigations into the government’s flood control projects, while the President visited sites of the said, if not substandard, government flood control projects.

The President has also established the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to probe the government’s flood control projects. –NB, GMA Integrated News