Mayor Alfredo Lim and members of Manila's Bid and Awards Committee are facing graft charges that was filed last April 8, 2010. The complainant, Atty. Reynaldo Bagatsing filed the complaint-affidavit in response to the allegedly illegal public bidding for rehabilitation of 15 schools within the city. Bagatsing said that the bidding have benefited the involved officials. It was also perceived by the complainant that entering into such transaction placed the city in a disadvantaged position because the involved parties are after the profit and not the due results of the project.
After obtaining an online copy of the bid notice abstract from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement (PhilGEPS), Bagatsing immediately filed a complaint before the Ombudsman. Bagatsing stated in his sworn affidavit that the bid invitation posted on February 18, 2010 also included details about the filing of letter of intent for interested bidders which were supposedly on February 10-16, 2010""dates that are impossible to comply with as they have already elapsed. Despite the notice though, the request list that accompany the said bid notice clearly outlined three entities that were favored by the committee. The said entities were ALE Builders Construction and Development Corporation, Diamond Head Construction/Supplies, and VITES Construction and Development Corporation.
Reynaldo Bagatsing, Mayor Lim's former legal colleague and legal counsel, said that the anomalous transaction was performed unnecessarily quick and considered it as a bidding violation. The swift process of the public building is said to be a violation against the Republic Act NO. 9184 (R.A. 9148) or Government Procurement Reform Act. From the overlapping dates of letter of intent submission and the publication of the notice, it cannot be denied that the transaction was rushed. Hence, it is undeniable that the haste actions of the participating parties were incongruent to the bidding rules and time frames covered by the R.A. 9148.
Seven other Manila officials were pointed out to have played major roles in carrying out the scheme; most of whom are members of the Bids and Awards Committee. They are Atty. Rafaelito Garayblas, Atty. Renato Dela Cruz, Vicky Valientes, Leanie S. Sanding, Ma. Lourdes Manlulu, Alicia T. Moscaya and Thelma Perez. The members of the committee who acted on their own free will, despite knowing the issues behind the transaction are held responsible for infringing Republic Act No. 3019 (R.A. 3019) or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices and Republic Act No. 6713 (R.A. 6713) commonly referred to as the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. Mayor Alfredo Lim, who consented to the act, also violated the aforementioned laws.
The city of Manila is set to lose P23,550,000.00, associated with this unscrupulous activity. Bagatsing also noted that by associating with such contract, the major players in the bid chose to deprive Manila the opportunity to save funds which could have been used for future projects. The plaintiff called for the attention of the Ombudsman to properly address the issue at hand. This is so in order to provide the justice due to Manila residents and tax payers.
All the evidences presented by Bagatsing clearly manifest how public projects like this could become a breeding ground for illegal activities. Although various laws are put in place in order to address these issues, there are still people who continuously participate in the perpetration of fraudulent activities. As such, illegal activities within the government turns into an issue that is too hard to address. In the long run, if this issue is left unattended, the political career of Mayor Alfredo Lim could be jeopardized.
Following the discovery of evidences that pointed towards a bidding violation, Atty. Reynaldo Bagatsing filed a complaint-affidavit against Mayor Alfredo Lim and his cohorts in the Bid and Awards Committee of the city of Manila. Aside from the bidding issues, Bagatsing also stated in his sworn affidavit that the involved participants violated the graft and corruption law as well as the ethical standards for public officials and employees.
-Julius Arante
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