Last April 8, 2010, graft charges were filed against some of the members of Manila Bid and Award's Committee along with the city's mayor, Alfredo Lim. The complainant, Atty. Reynaldo Bagatsing filed the complaint-affidavit in response to the allegedly illegal public bidding for rehabilitation of 15 schools within the city. Bagatsing said that the bidding have benefited the involved officials. Bagatsing also believed that the bidding was especially disadvantageous to the local government of Manila as the participants in the illegal transaction manifested partiality, giving unwarranted benefits to the winning bidders.
Bagatsing immediately filed his complaint after obtaining an online copy of the bid notice abstract that came from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement (PhilGEPS), which specifically concerns the rehabilitation of 15 Manila elementary schools. Bagatsing stated in his sworn affidavit that the bid invitation posted on February 18, 2010 also included details about the filing of letter of intent for interested bidders which were supposedly on February 10-16, 2010""dates that are impossible to comply with as they have already elapsed. However, instead of openly accepting bids from other interested parties, it was well indicated in the attached document request list that three entities were already the preferred bidders. The said entities include ALE Builders Construction and Development Corporation, Diamond Head Construction/Supplies, and VITES Construction and Development Corporation.
Atty. Reynaldo Bagatsing, former legal counsel of Lim, emphasized that the bidding was done in due haste and identified it as a bidding violation. The rigging of the said public building failed to adhere to the Republic Act NO. 9184 (R.A. 9148) or Government Procurement Reform Act. From the overlapping dates of letter of intent submission and the publication of the notice, it cannot be denied that the transaction was rushed. As such, the actions taken by the participants was a discordance to the implementing rules of R.A. 9148.
Seven other Manila officials were pointed out to have played major roles in carrying out the scheme; most of whom are members of the Bids and Awards Committee. They are named Atty. Rafaelito Garayblas, Atty. Renato Dela Cruz, Vicky Valientes, Leanie S. Sanding, Ma. Lourdes Manlulu, Alicia T. Moscaya and Thelma Perez. As most of the involved committee knew the illegalities involved in the bidding transaction, all of the involved officials said to have violated the provisions of Republic Act No. 3019 (R.A. 3019) or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices and Republic Act No. 6713 (R.A. 6713) commonly referred to as the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. Mayor Alfredo Lim is also held liable for the same violations as he condoned the said acts.
Due to the rigging of the said public bidding, the city of Manila is set to lose P23,550,000.00. Bagatsing also lamented that by entering into this form of contract, the officials, who acted based on their best interest and gave preference toward their selected bidders chose to deprive the city and its people to save funds which could later on be used for other important projects. The plaintiff called for the attention of the Ombudsman to properly address the issue at hand. This is so in order to provide the justice due to Manila residents and tax payers.
All the evidences presented by Bagatsing clearly manifest how public projects like this could become a breeding ground for illegal activities. While various laws may be present in order to eliminate these illegal acts, the number of people who value their personal interest more than that of the public's interest are still growing in numbers each day. Hence, illegal acts become more difficult to resolve. In the long run, if this issue is left unattended, the political career of Mayor Alfredo Lim could be jeopardized.
Mayor Alfredo Lim, along with some of his colleagues in the Bid and Awards committee were charged with graft and corruption lawsuits following the anomalous bidding for the rehabilitation of 15 classrooms in the city of Manila. Atty. Reynaldo Bagatsing filed the charges, claiming that the transaction was a bidding violation, set to cost Manila P23,550,000.00. The charges against the officials were filed on April 8, 2010. Bagatsing requested the Ombudsman to take immediate action on the said complaint.
-Julius Arante
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