Bukidnon officials, state auditor face charges for bidding mess

 

In a statement, the Ombudsman said it had affirmed the filing of graft charges against San Fernando Mayor Laurencia Edma, treasurer Agapito Baldo, accountant Felipa Catanus, budget officer Nestor Lopez. Aside from graft charges, the four also face a falsification of public documents charge.

 

Meanwhile private secretary Menchie Landicho, COA auditor Carlito Matias and private respondent Bernardita Basay, owner of the Mindanao Philippine,Sunday,Journal, also face falsification charges.

 

The case stems from a 2004 loan agreement between the town of San Fernando and the Development Bank of the Philippines for the procurement of a new soil compactor and a tractor.

 

Instead of a public bidding, the local officials allegedly resorted to direct contracting with Monark Equipment Corp. as supplier of the heavy equipment, the resolution said.

 

However, despite the lack of bidding, auditor Matias had attested that the LGU had conducted a public bidding; found that the procurement was done pursuant to existing laws, rules and regulations; and certified that the price offered by Monark was reasonable.

 

But the Ombudsman said that, unknown to Matias, the COA thru the Office of the Provincial Auditor issued an Audit Observation Memorandum stating that no competitive bidding was conducted.

 

In approving the Resolution, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ruled that the “absence of public bidding and the immediate resort to negotiated purchase deprived the government of the opportunity to secure the best and most economical deal.”

 

The Resolution further stated that “as an official of the COA, it is quite unsettling that respondent Matias would completely overlook the municipality’s non-compliance with the prevailing law on procurement,” as his act “of defending the alleged unfamiliarity of the local officials of San Fernando on the provisions of RA No. 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act) and his obvious disregard of the said law in the conduct of his special audit, only reinforces his participation on the scheme of projecting a non-existent public bidding.”

 

The Ombudsman included Basay in the charges as she falsely claimed that the invitation to bid was published in her paper. — DVM, GMA News