PNP to blacklist overpricing suppliers

Dealers who supplied defective and reportedly overpriced rubber boats and helicopters to the Philippine National Police (PNP) may be permanently banned from doing business with the government, the PNP said.

“Of course, we will implement this [blacklisting] but there’s a process. I’m not familiar with the procedure but I think Republic Act 9184 has a procedure on this,” PNP Director General Raul M. Bacalzo said in an ambush interview Thursday.

Under RA 9184, private contractors who violate procurement laws may face, on top of criminal and civil liabilities, permanent disqualification from transacting business with the government.

Bacalzo added, however, that he was still waiting for the final report of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to “see who’s really liable” in these cases.

The PNP found itself at the center of controversy over the discovery of two allegedly irregular deals during the term of former PNP chief Jesus Versoza.

These involved the separate purchases of 75 rubber boats and 93 outboard motors (that turned out to be mismatched) for P131.5 million, and three helicopters for P105 million, two of which were found to be secondhand.

The Senate and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) separately launched probes into the deals.

“In fact, my instructions are to identify the individuals, including the dealers who may be involved, so let’s wait for the final report,” he told reporters.

He said CIDG Director Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr. had already sent invitations to the dealers to answer questions about the rubber boats transaction.

The DILG revealed recently that the engines the PNP bought from the dealer Enviro-Aire in 2009 after the destruction wrought by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” were not compatible with the rubber boats, and that these were allegedly overpriced.

“(Pagdilao) is just waiting for the response from the dealer. But whether they appear or not, the investigation will continue on the basis of the evidence at hand,” Bacalzo said.

The PNP also found that of the three choppers it bought for P104.9 million in 2009, two were found to have logged an average flying time of 500 hours before they were received by the Special Action Force’s Air Unit.

The two Robinson choppers (with body number RP-4375 and RP 4250) were previously registered to the Asian Spirit Inc. which leased them to Lionair Inc. in 2004. But it was Manila Aerospace Products Trading that directly negotiated for the PNP purchase.