PNP to check unmet contracts amounting to almost P1.7B

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar. INQUIRER file photo / Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday ordered its special elite force leadership to check the status of its unmet procurement contracts amount to almost P1.7 billion, which the Commission on Audit (COA) earlier flagged.

In its 2020 annual audit report, COA reported that at least 29 firearms and armor procurement contracts entered into by the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) with various suppliers have not yet been delivered.

The undelivered items amount to P1,693,669,525.55, according to COA.

“I have directed the leadership of the SAF to determine and immediately report to me why some of these procurement contracts have not materialized,” PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in a statement.

“I have also tasked the SAF to report the current status of the contracts,” he added.

COA, meanwhile, has recommended for the SAF to terminate the contracts and forfeit the performance security bond posted by the suppliers and ban them from participating in future procurement projects of the PNP.

“We will consult with our PNP Legal Service kung ano ang mga susunod na hakbang na aming dapat gawin hinggil dito [on what step we should do regarding this matter],” Eleazar said.

“These contracts are for the improvement of the elite force’s operational capability. Kaya’t ang focus natin dito ay talagang ma-i-deliver sa ating SAF ang mga equipment na makatutulong ng malaki sa kanilang operasyon [so our focus here is to really be able to deliver to our SAF the equipment that will help a lot in their operation],” he added.

Among the undelivered items were armored vehicles, troop carriers, machine guns, grenade and rocket launchers, rifles, pistols, mortar, parachutes, tactical vests, ballistic shields, gas masks, bomb suits, night vision spotting scopes, signal jammers, thermal imaging, and ammunition.

On Monday, the PNP ordered its personnel to look into the reported discrepancies that the COA also flagged, regarding the transfer of firearms and body armor vests to police regional offices.

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JPV