By Kit Bagaipo
First posted in The Bohol Chronicle
There is “no irregularity or substantial error” in the P168-million bidding for the purchase of a fleet of brand new heavy equipment of the provincial government.
This was the finding of the review panel led by Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera looking into the bidding controversy, the biggest single purchase of the province in recent years.
The result of the bid review did not come as a surprise as anti-graft watchdog Boholanos Against Corruption and Social Harassment (Bacos) already cast doubts on the integrity of the review committee which was formed by Gov. Erico Aumentado.
Two other Capitol officials, provincial legal officer Atty. Handel Lagunay and Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chair Engr. Rosalinda Yu, also strongly held confidence that the bidding was “procedurally and legally above-board”.
In an interview with the Chronicle yesterday, Herrera said the review team “meticulously reviewed the procedures outlined under RA 9184 (the Government Procurement Law) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) vis-à-vis the bidding process undertaken by the BAC.”
The finding was already submitted to the governor who will decide on whether to proceed with the award of the contract to qualified suppliers.
The BAC is still in the process of post-qualifying bids for 2 units of backhoe/hydraulic excavators with breakers; 2 units of bulldozers with ripper; 2 units payloaders; 10 units of 6-wheeler dump trucks; 4 units motor road grader; 4 units road roller/vibratory compactor; 1 unit 6-wheeler water truck with pump; and a 6-wheeler fuel tanker with pump.
On the question raised by protesting Japanese heavy equipment supplier Kowa Tsusho Ltd. that the Invitation to Apply for Eligibility and to Bid (IAEB) did not observe the required advertisement, the review committee said the BAC is not required that the advertisement should be in a newspaper with the widest distribution and readership.
The review panel considers Sun Star Daily with national distribution for general readership, which is already a sufficient compliance with law, since the newspaper is circulated not only in Cebu but also in Metro Manila and Davao City.
According to the committee, the advertisement was likewise posted in three conspicuous places and the provincial government’s website www.bohol.gov.ph.
As far as the availability of bid documents the committee found that it was already presented on the first day of advertisement.
“The BAC was prepared to issue the bid documents should any prospective buyer desire to purchase it at the rate prescribed under Provincial Ordinance No. 2004-21” the finding stated.
An investigation with the BAC revealed that it was only on January 23, 2009, after the pre-bid conference, that two suppliers purchased the bid documents.
The submission of bids, the receipt and opening of eligibility and bid envelopes up to the post-qualification stage all complied with the procedures mandated in the procurement law.
The review committee said it cannot act on the protest filed by Kowa Tsusho and the appeal for reconsideration of Pasajero Motors Corporation since the panel’s task is only to review the bidding process and find out if it conformed to the procedure provided under the procurement law.
The review committee, composed of Herrera, provincial administrator Tomas Abapo Jr., Atty. Mitchell John Boiser and internal audit service head Jerome Maniwang, affirmed an earlier finding of provincial attorney Lagunay.
However, a separate inquiry and monitoring is being conducted by the Commission on Audit (COA) on the bidding. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan committee on public accountability headed by Board Member Asther Piollo is also conducting its own probe.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
3 kids die, trapped in fire
By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle
Three children had to endure their violent deaths on Monday after they were trapped inside the house as it was partly razed down by fire in barangay Progreso, Alicia town.
Charlie Maite, 6 years old; Chris John, 4 years old; and 4-month-old Christopher Ayunan were left by their parents locked-up in their house on Monday afternoon.
Trying to make ends meet, the mother, Zenith Ayunan, 28, had to attend a food handling seminar while his husband Alberto Ayunan, 32, a food trader at the Alicia Public Market. The husband used to work abroad as a seaman.
Fire officials believed the house may have been set ablaze by a safety match played around by the kids or an overloaded electrical system.
The parents could not accept the tragedy upon learning that their three children were already dead.
Neighbors told firemen that they heard shouts from the children who tried to reach out for the door lock which was on the topmost portion of the doorframe.
The neighbors also tried to rescue the children but the fire swiftly engulfed the house.
The fire alarm was received by the Ubay Fire Station at around 2 p.m. but the blaze was already uncontrollable and some parts of the house had already collapsed with the children inside.
According to the Alicia PNP, the house was built mostly on concrete and hard wood making it hard for neighbors to rescue the Ayunan children.
Initial investigation of fire officials estimated property damage at P200,000.
The Bohol Chronicle
Three children had to endure their violent deaths on Monday after they were trapped inside the house as it was partly razed down by fire in barangay Progreso, Alicia town.
Charlie Maite, 6 years old; Chris John, 4 years old; and 4-month-old Christopher Ayunan were left by their parents locked-up in their house on Monday afternoon.
Trying to make ends meet, the mother, Zenith Ayunan, 28, had to attend a food handling seminar while his husband Alberto Ayunan, 32, a food trader at the Alicia Public Market. The husband used to work abroad as a seaman.
Fire officials believed the house may have been set ablaze by a safety match played around by the kids or an overloaded electrical system.
The parents could not accept the tragedy upon learning that their three children were already dead.
Neighbors told firemen that they heard shouts from the children who tried to reach out for the door lock which was on the topmost portion of the doorframe.
The neighbors also tried to rescue the children but the fire swiftly engulfed the house.
The fire alarm was received by the Ubay Fire Station at around 2 p.m. but the blaze was already uncontrollable and some parts of the house had already collapsed with the children inside.
According to the Alicia PNP, the house was built mostly on concrete and hard wood making it hard for neighbors to rescue the Ayunan children.
Initial investigation of fire officials estimated property damage at P200,000.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
12-year old boy sees his parents murdered
By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle
A dispute among relatives over a piece of inherited land led to the slaying of a couple on Friday in the town of Inabanga .
The slain couple’s 12-year old son saw the violent killing of his father Francisco Piadora y Roxas, 59, and mother Leonita Piadora y Sentinales, 48, around 4:30 p.m. along the barangay road in Baguhan, Inabanga.
Based on the boy’s account, his parents were on their way home when the suspects identified as Ramon Bustamante and Constaniani Sentinales accosted them.
Bustamante and Sentinales, who are close relatives of the victims, were said to have been waiting for the Piadora couple.
Leonita sustained two bullet wounds on her forehead and was also stabbed on the chest.
Ramon, on the other hand, was stabbed on the neck, according to the victims’ son who is now in the custody of relatives after the incident.
The couple died on the spot, police said, as the two suspects fled.
Sentinales was later arrested by the Inabanga PNP in a hot pursuit operation. She is currently detained at the Inabanga Police Station. Bustamante remains at large.
The Bohol Chronicle
A dispute among relatives over a piece of inherited land led to the slaying of a couple on Friday in the town of Inabanga .
The slain couple’s 12-year old son saw the violent killing of his father Francisco Piadora y Roxas, 59, and mother Leonita Piadora y Sentinales, 48, around 4:30 p.m. along the barangay road in Baguhan, Inabanga.
Based on the boy’s account, his parents were on their way home when the suspects identified as Ramon Bustamante and Constaniani Sentinales accosted them.
Bustamante and Sentinales, who are close relatives of the victims, were said to have been waiting for the Piadora couple.
Leonita sustained two bullet wounds on her forehead and was also stabbed on the chest.
Ramon, on the other hand, was stabbed on the neck, according to the victims’ son who is now in the custody of relatives after the incident.
The couple died on the spot, police said, as the two suspects fled.
Sentinales was later arrested by the Inabanga PNP in a hot pursuit operation. She is currently detained at the Inabanga Police Station. Bustamante remains at large.
PRBank depositors have to wait until March 18
By Kit Bagaipo
Inquirer Visayas Bureau
First Posted 06:46:00 03/09/2009
Filed Under: Banking, Legacy banking group
TAGBILARAN CITY—Depositors of the closed Pilipino Rural Bank (PRBank) whose insurance claims are not yet processed by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) will again have to wait until March 18.
The deposit insurer ended on Friday its initial claims servicing operations but hundreds of depositors were unable to get their insurance claims.
Although the PDIC representatives did not reveal the number of claims already paid, they admitted that not all regular savings accounts with deposit balances of P100,000 and below were serviced.
The PRBank Tagbilaran had over 14,000 clients when the bank shut down last Dec. 12, following the collapse of its affiliate rural banks across the country belonging to the Legacy Group.
In an advisory, the PDIC said they would start distributing numbered claim forms at the premises of PRBank on March 18 for depositors with regular savings accounts, time deposits, special savings accounts and current/demand deposits.
The date on the claim form should correspond to a particular filing date, the advisory said.
Depositors are required to personally file their claims except those who are below 7 years old.
According to the PDIC advisory, claims they receive will be processed through its home office in Manila. Valid claims will be paid through registered mail to the depositor’s address indicated in the claim form.
No fees are charged for the processing and payment of all deposit insurance claims, the PDIC reminds depositors of the closed rural bank.
Inquirer Visayas Bureau
First Posted 06:46:00 03/09/2009
Filed Under: Banking, Legacy banking group
TAGBILARAN CITY—Depositors of the closed Pilipino Rural Bank (PRBank) whose insurance claims are not yet processed by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) will again have to wait until March 18.
The deposit insurer ended on Friday its initial claims servicing operations but hundreds of depositors were unable to get their insurance claims.
Although the PDIC representatives did not reveal the number of claims already paid, they admitted that not all regular savings accounts with deposit balances of P100,000 and below were serviced.
The PRBank Tagbilaran had over 14,000 clients when the bank shut down last Dec. 12, following the collapse of its affiliate rural banks across the country belonging to the Legacy Group.
In an advisory, the PDIC said they would start distributing numbered claim forms at the premises of PRBank on March 18 for depositors with regular savings accounts, time deposits, special savings accounts and current/demand deposits.
The date on the claim form should correspond to a particular filing date, the advisory said.
Depositors are required to personally file their claims except those who are below 7 years old.
According to the PDIC advisory, claims they receive will be processed through its home office in Manila. Valid claims will be paid through registered mail to the depositor’s address indicated in the claim form.
No fees are charged for the processing and payment of all deposit insurance claims, the PDIC reminds depositors of the closed rural bank.
Herrera leads investigation on P168-M bid
Following persistent calls for transparency in the P168-million bidding for the purchase of heavy equipment of the provincial government, no less than Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera was designated to head the review of the bid process.
In a memorandum issued by Gov. Erico Aumentado dated March 4, 2009, the Review Committee was created composed of Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo Jr. as vice chairman, Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Bohol Chapter President Atty. John Mitchell Boiser and Internal Audit Service (IAS) chief Jerome Maniwang, as members.
The committee was requested by the governor to complete its inquiry until March 16 and submit its recommendation for appropriate action.
"It must be remembered that the provincial government is racing against time in order to avail of the summer season to work on the provincial roads that need immediate repair and improvement," Aumentado said.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Herrera said the alleged giving of "undue advantage to preferred suppliers" has to be looked into without delaying further the procurement of much-needed heavy equipment.
"We will work on this expeditiously without encroaching on another investigation being conducted by the newly-formed Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) committee on public accountability," the vice governor stressed.
During its regular session on Tuesday, provincial lawmakers approved en masse the creation of the new committee chaired by Board Member Asther Piollo.
"The urgency of this matter however will not be at the expense of coming up with a credible finding that will also deal with possible lapses in the procurement process," Herrera added.
The vice governor assured that the committee review will also tackle aspects raised by the complaining disenfranchised supplier Kowa Tsusho Ltd.
"The supplier had declared some very serious allegations that cast doubts not only on the integrity of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) but the entire provincial government," according to Herrera.
The vice governor said the controversy would eventually implicate provincial leaders if there were indeed violations of the bidding rules and regulations and these are not corrected.
In a memorandum issued by Gov. Erico Aumentado dated March 4, 2009, the Review Committee was created composed of Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo Jr. as vice chairman, Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Bohol Chapter President Atty. John Mitchell Boiser and Internal Audit Service (IAS) chief Jerome Maniwang, as members.
The committee was requested by the governor to complete its inquiry until March 16 and submit its recommendation for appropriate action.
"It must be remembered that the provincial government is racing against time in order to avail of the summer season to work on the provincial roads that need immediate repair and improvement," Aumentado said.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Herrera said the alleged giving of "undue advantage to preferred suppliers" has to be looked into without delaying further the procurement of much-needed heavy equipment.
"We will work on this expeditiously without encroaching on another investigation being conducted by the newly-formed Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) committee on public accountability," the vice governor stressed.
During its regular session on Tuesday, provincial lawmakers approved en masse the creation of the new committee chaired by Board Member Asther Piollo.
"The urgency of this matter however will not be at the expense of coming up with a credible finding that will also deal with possible lapses in the procurement process," Herrera added.
The vice governor assured that the committee review will also tackle aspects raised by the complaining disenfranchised supplier Kowa Tsusho Ltd.
"The supplier had declared some very serious allegations that cast doubts not only on the integrity of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) but the entire provincial government," according to Herrera.
The vice governor said the controversy would eventually implicate provincial leaders if there were indeed violations of the bidding rules and regulations and these are not corrected.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
