Vice President Sara Duterte —Lyn Rillon
MANILA, Philippines — Corrupt practices in the bidding process will not be tolerated at the Department of Education (DepEd) under former Sen. Sonny Angara’s supervision, as it warned any of its employees, officials, and even bidders for projects to tread carefully in attempting to carry out irregularities.
In a department memorandum dated Oct. 30 and made public on Tuesday, DepEd touted its “fair and transparent bidding process.”
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The two-page memorandum was posted on its website just as the House good government and accountability committee resumed its inquiry into the alleged misuse of funds by Vice President Sara Duterte in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and during her short-lived stint as education secretary.
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DepEd, however, did not say if the issuance of the memorandum was in connection with the ongoing House inquiry.
Equal opportunity
Under the memorandum signed by Education Undersecretary Peter Irving Corvera, who heads the agency’s procurement office, all bidding activities of the agency shall be conducted “in strict adherence to the principles of transparency, competitiveness and accountability” under Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
“Thus, all qualified bidders will have equal opportunity to participate and be considered in every procurement process, without any undue preference or advantage granted to any party,” read Corvera’s memorandum.
It also noted that Angara “stands committed” to establishing an “open, transparent and efficient procurement process” in the agency aimed at fostering public confidence when it comes to procurement and its integrity.
Corvera also assured the public in the memorandum that DepEd will not give any undue advantage or preferential treatment to any bidder.
Sanctions
The ongoing House good government panel hearings seek to unravel the issues surrounding Duterte’s expenditure of her funds at the OVP and DepEd, especially the millions in confidential funds she sought during her early years after her election in 2022.
One of the revelations during the inquiry was that some DepEd officials received envelopes of cash from Duterte, through then Education Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda, allegedly in exchange for not questioning the processes in DepEd’s procurement and to influence their decision on the biddings.
DepEd, at the same time, also issued a reminder to all bidders and contractors taking part in their bidding processes, as well as DepEd officials and employees involved in the procurement, to not “unduly favor or give preference” to a specific bidder and to prolong the procedures.
Disciplinary actions
“DepEd remains steadfast in its duty to uphold procurement integrity and fight any and all forms of graft and corruption,” the memorandum said.
Bidders, contractors, and suppliers who will violate this were warned of being blacklisted in the procurement activities of DepEd and may even lead to their disqualification from participating in future biddings for any government agency.
As for DepEd officials and employees, the agency warned them of “severe disciplinary actions,” such as dismissal from service and the filing of criminal charges.
The department also encouraged the public to report any information involving any illegal or corrupt activity within DepEd.