IMEE: BEWARE OF PROCUREMENTS DURING EXTENDED STATE OF EMERGENCY

Senator Imee Marcos is pressing for greater direct procurement by national government agencies, ahead of an extended state of public health emergency and Congressional hearings on the 2023 national budget.

"The series of procurement controversies that surfaced during the pandemic must end. In fact, COA (Commission on Audit) has reported that they go back more than a decade," Marcos said. "We can step up emergency response with more direct purchases of supplies, equipment, and services. The government will also be able to avoid redundant allocations and save billions in next year's national budget," the senator added.

Marcos has revived her call to abolish the Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) and the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) via Senate bills 1122 and 1123, which she first asserted during the 18th Congress.

"Both agencies were created by my dad (former President Ferdinand Marcos) in the 70's. But they have not only outlived their usefulness; they have in fact become agencies of malfeasance and corruption," the senator said.

Marcos emphasized that the procurement services of national government agencies should instead be strengthened, in accordance with Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA).

The PS-DBM has faced allegations of overpricing in the procurement of Php42 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and personal protective equipment for the Department of Health last year and Php2.4 billion worth of teachers' laptops for the Department of Education just last week.

Senator Marcos also questioned the PS-DBM's practice of reselling equipment and supplies to national government agencies that funded their procurement.

Meanwhile, the PITC has become "a repository for unobligated funds of national government agencies" that were avoiding the return of unused portions of their budget to the national treasury and using them to fund yearend bonuses.

The COA has flagged the PITC for about Php34 billion in idle funds from various national agencies, including those for procuring firetrucks and military supplies that had not been delivered for as long as six to eight years, "even as the GPRA recommends that procurements be completed in 136 days at most."

"The original purpose of the PITC was to facilitate trade between socialist and other Centrally Planned Economy Countries, like the U.S.S.R. and China at the time, but only Cuba and North Korea remain as CPECs," Marcos explained.

IMEE: BANTAYAN ANG PAGBILI SA MGA SUPPLY SA PANAHON NG PALALAWIGING STATE OF EMERGENCY

Itinutulak ni Senador Imee Marcos ang direktang pagbili ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno sa kanilang mga supplier, bago pa palawigin ang state of public health emergency at bago isagawa ang pagdinig ng kongreso sa 2023 national budget.

"Dapat nang matapos ang serye ng kontrobersyal na pagbili ng mga supply sa bansa na lumabas sa kasagsagan ng pandemya. Katunayan, inireport ng COA (Commission on Audit) na nanumbalik ito ng mahigit pa sa dekada," ani Marcos.

"Maaari nating pabilisin ang emergency response kung direkta ang pagbili ng mga supply, equipment, at serbisyo. Maiiwasan din ng gobyerno ang doble-dobleng alokasyon at makatitipid pa ng bilyun-bilyong piso para sa pambansang badyet sa susunod na taon," dagdag pa ni Marcos.

Sa harap nito, muling nanawagan si Marcos na dapat nang lansagin ang Procurement Service ng Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) at Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) sa kanyang inihain na Senate bills 1122 at 1123, na matatandaang dati na niyang inihirit noong 18th Congress.

"Ang tatay ko (dating Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Sr.) ang bumuo sa nasabing dalawang ahensya noong dekada '70. Pero lumipas na ang kanilang gamit, ang naturang mga ahensya pa ang promotor ng mga alingasngas at korapsyon," ayon sa senador.

Binigyang diin ni Marcos na kung tutuusin, dapat nga sanang pinalakas ang procurement services nga mga ahensya ng gobyerno, alinsunod sa Republic Act 9184 o ng Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA).

Una nang inaakusahan nitong nakaraang taon ang PS-DBM ng pag-o-overprice ng pagbili sa mga face mask, face shield, at personal protective equipment na nagkakahalagang Php42 billion para sa Department of Health, at nitong nakaraang linggo lamang ang pag-o-overprice ng pagbili ng Php2.4 billion na halaga ng mga laptop ng Department of Education para sa mga guro.

Matatandaang kinwestyon rin ni Marcos kung bakit ibinebenta pa ng PS-DBM ang mga equipment at mga supply sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno na nagbigay ng pondong pambili para sa mga ito.

Kagaya ng PS-DBM, naging imbakan din ang PITC ng "unobligated funds" na hindi na sinosoli sa Bureau of Treasury sa katapusan ng taon, na ginagamit para sa pagbigay ng mga bonus sa mga opisyal ng mga ahensyang pinanggalingan ng pondo.

Iniulat ng COA na halos Php34 billion ang nakatulog lamang na mga pondo sa PITC galing sa iba't-ibang ahensya ng gobyerno, kasama ang dapat ilaan para sa mga firetuck at military supplies na hindi nade-deliver ng anim hanggang walong taon, "kahit pa inirerekomenda ng GPRA na dapat tapusin ang proseso ng pagbili sa loob ng 136 na araw."

"Orihinal na tungkulin ng PITC na mamagitan sa kalakalan sa pagitan ng socialist at iba pang mga bansang may sentralisado at planadong ekonomiya, gaya ng U.S.S.R at China noong mga panahong yun, pero Cuba lang at North Korea ang nananatili sa CPECs ngayon," paliwanag ni Marcos.