DBM now a ‘superbody’ for procurement – Andaya
Credit to Author: GLEE JALEA| Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2019 16:12:32 +0000
HOUSE Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. has launched a new line of attack against Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, accusing the Cabinet official of turning his department into a “super-bidding body” for cornering about P198 billion worth of projects.
Bingle Gutierrez, executive director of the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (DBM-PS), told the House Committee on Rules on Tuesday that her office was responsible for bidding out billions worth of government contracts, including big-time infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The House committee found that P198 billion worth of government contracts have been procured, including the building of airports, railways and mass transport systems as well as the purchase of military hardware such as helicopters.
The DBM-PS is mandated by law to procure only commonly used supplies such as envelopes, folders, ballpens, pencils, ink, computers and other office equipment that are cheaper to buy by the bulk. But, Gutierrez said her office had procured items for 20 other government agencies.
The DBM procured for the Department of Transportation (DoTr) P168.275 billion worth of goods and services, even if the latter had a budget for capital outlay worth only P38.519 billion under the 2018 General Appropriations Act.
“Would not DoTr have the expertise? Why would an office with a mandate of procurement, papers, documents [be chosen to procure] in this matter?” Andaya said.
Congress gave the DBM-PS only P7-billion budget in 2018 for the procurement of commonly used supplies.
Andaya has been waging a campaign against Diokno, who had spearheaded budget reforms, earlier accusing the DBM chief of favoring a contractor linked to his daughter’s in-law for flood-control projects in Sorsogon.
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