Probe into terminated contract with nat’l ID supplier sought

MANILA, Philippines — A former Department of Transportation (DOTr) official is urging the national government to conduct a thorough probe into the termination of the contract between the government and  All Card Inc. (ACI) — the supplier of Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) ID cards.

Atty. Nicasio A. Conti, former spokesperson of DOTr and officer-in-charge of the Maritime Industry Authority made the call on Saturday, urging the government to specifically look into the failures associated with the terminated contracts.

 “The delays and failures related to this contract may suggest issues beyond mere administrative inefficiency,”  Conti, now with the CLICK Party List and CEO of Capstone-Intel Corp. said  

He likewise pointed out that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ move, prompted by the delays and non-compliance with project requirements “highlights the urgent need for scrutiny.”

Conti added that the failure to deliver the project on time undermines the government’s modernization efforts and “erodes” public trust. 

Based on the MB Resolution No. 962 obtained by INQUIRER.net, the terminated contract covers the following:

• Provision of technical and maintenance support personnel
• Training of BSP and Philippine Statistics Authority personnel
• Supply and delivery of raw materials, consumables, and wear-and-tear spare parts for 116 million pieces of PhilID cards

Included in the resolution is a notice of decision which detailed the grounds for termination of the contract as follows:

• ACI failed to deliver enough raw materials within the specific period, even within the extension granted
• ACI failed to maintain the production machinery due to unavailable machine spare parts causing prolonged machine downtime

“I have personally experienced the impact of these delays, having only received a digital copy of my National ID while waiting for the printed version. This is unacceptable for a project of such national importance,” the former DOTr official said. 

 Conti, who is also a former Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, also said that those responsible for the failure should be held accountable.

 “Contracts, especially those impacting millions of Filipinos, must be awarded and managed with stringent oversight to prevent any form of misconduct. This incident should prompt all government agencies to strengthen their safeguards and accountability measures,” he said.  

“Ensuring the integrity of public contracts is essential to delivering the services and infrastructure that Filipinos deserve. We must select partners who are fully capable of meeting our nation’s needs and upholding the trust placed in them,” the lawyer added.