Suarez seeks probe into NPO’s contract to private firm

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — House minority leader Danilo Suarez on Wednesday called for an investigation into the awarding of the government contract for the printing of the ballots for next year’s elections to a private firm.

In a media briefing, Suarez questioned the decision of the National Printing Office’s (NPO) to award the P784-million contract to Holy Family Incorporated, which allegedly did not comply with government requirements.

He warned that next year’s midterm polls may end up in failure due to this irregularity.

The minority bloc, Suarez said, believes that such scenario may happen next year if the NPO and Commission on Elections would fail to uphold transparency in the deal to supply and print the ballots for the May 2013 elections.

According to Suarez, the bid requirements submitted by the company claiming it had earlier secured a P120 million contract with the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to produce the Seafarers’ Identification and Record Books turned out false.

“It is required for the company to have done business with the government beforehand. Marina denied it in writing (that they went into a deal with Holy Family)–grounds for the contract (with NPO) to be disqualified,” he said.

He pointed out reports that Holy Family also failed to provide satisfactory results during a qualification test run for the sample ballots with the PCOS machines. “Instead of bringing 1,000 sample ballots as required on testing day (September 12), it brought only eight. Out of the eight ballots, six didn’t fit in the machine. Also, the ink in the said sample ballots reportedly bled and smudged.”

Suarez said despite these “glaring inconsistencies, the Bids and Awards Committee chairman of the NPO concluded the sample testing of the Holy Family Inc. passed.”

“This is alarming and I am appealing to Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. to take over and take it from the NPO,” Suarez urged.

“Why did Comelec decide to farm out the very heart of the elections which is the ballot? Give the contract to a tested firm, one which has already performed for the government,” he said.