Witness: Bidding for Makati projects under Elenita Binay a sham

A FORMER city hall official pinned down Dr. Elenita Binay, the wife of Vice President Jejomar Binay, for her alleged role in the rigged bidding for the office furniture contract when she was mayor in Makati.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor furnished the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division a copy of the affidavit executed by Ernesto Aspillaga, who was Dr. Binay’s head of the General Services Department in charge of preparing the procurement and bidding.

Aspillaga said the bidding was only “moro-moro” or “biding-bidingan,” and that the bidding procedures were not followed.

“As head of the GSD and member of the Committee on Awards, I could attest that although there was bidding, they were just ‘moro-moro’ or ‘biding-bidingan.’ The proper process of bidding was not followed,” Aspillaga said.

“There was no real bidding that occurred during the term of Dr. Elenita Binay as Makati City Mayor,” Aspillaga said.

Aspillaga said the purchase requests for procurement reaching his office were already signed by Dr. Binay, with a handwritten note in the mayor’s penmanship indicating the winning bidder already even before the actual bidding took place.

“I am certain that the note came from then Mayor Elenita Binay since it was written in her hand and I am familiar with her penmanship,” Aspillaga said.

After receiving the purchase requests, Aspillaga said his office would prepare all bidding documents and submit these to the Committee on Awards.

Aspillaga said the documents would make it appear a bidding took place even though there was already a pre-selected winning bidder.

In the instant case, Aspillaga said Dr. Binay indicated in her handwritten note to award the supplier of Makati city hall office fixture to Office Gallery Inc.

Aspillaga said his office has a collection of bidding forms from suppliers who previously transacted with the city hall.

He said his office would either manually or through a computer fill out the forms “to make it appear that these suppliers competed with the pre-selected bidder in a regular bidding.”

Aspillaga also said his office has a list of fictitious, dummy companies they can use to make it appear they participated in the bidding.

In the said bidding, Aspillaga said the two alleged bidders Grace Park Industries Inc. and Home Perfection Systems Corp. did not participate in the bidding.

“I am certain of this because no representative from the above ‘bidders,’ or any other supplier ever came to my office to inquire, secure bid documents or submit any bid or proposal in connection with the subject procurement,” Aspillaga said.

“I know for a fact that there was no meaningful dissemination of the invitation to bid. The publication in a local tabloid was just for compliance and to avoid detection of the sham bidding,” he added.

Aspillaga said a Sept. 1999 purchase order was even tampered with to hide the sham and make it appear a bidding preceded the purchase.

Aspillaga made the affidavit in a bid to  be dropped from the graft case of Dr. Binay.

Dr. Binay faces a graft trial before the Fifth Division over the anomalous purchase and procurement of office furniture and partitions when she was mayor.