MANILA, Philippines?A businessman on Wednesday filed a criminal complaint before the Ombudsman against Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap and 13 others on the procurement of alleged overpriced ice-making machines worth P456 million.
The 98 machines with liquid quick freeze capability were to be procured by the Department of Agriculture-National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR).
Allan Ragasa, a representative of the Sunvar company, in his complaint asked Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez to issue a preventive suspension order against Yap and the officials of the NABCOR.
Included in the complaint are NABCOR President Alan Javella; NABCOR Bids and Awards Committee chairman Romulo Arevallo; Dennis Lozada, Winton Azucena, Melody De Guzman, and Encarnita-Cristina Munsod of the Integrated Refrigeration Systems and Services Inc.; and their representatives Alexander Leung, Chairman; Lawrence Tan Son, Manager; Yao Ching Hsun, Director; Stephen Vehemente, Corporate Secretary; Marites Soriano, Assistant Corporate Secretary; and Jason Paz, treasurer.
"I earnestly request that the respondents be preventively suspended so as to ensure the sanctity of the records and the orderly administration of justice," Ragasa said in his 12-page complaint.
Ragasa said the bidding was manipulated so that it would go to their preferred bidder, Integrated Refrigeration Systems and Services Inc.
According to the complaint, the proposed procurement for the project had an approved value of P455,700,000.
The NABCOR and BAC earlier held an invitation to bid based on the July 29, 2009, offer for bidders to submit and open their bids on August 26, 2009.
A week before the bidding, Ragasa said that the BAC informed all bidders through a supplemental bid bulletin that they need to submit a toxicology test result on the alcohol solution used in the machines.
This, according to the BAC, was to ensure that the ice to be made by the machines would be safe for marine products.
The bidders followed suit but after two weeks, the BAC announced that Integrated Refrigeration Systems and Services, Inc. immediately provided them with its "toxicology result."
Ragasa said other bidders agreed to come out in the open anytime within the coming weeks to express their support to the case filed against Yap.
