Textbook scam

There’s a war going on between two giants in the publishing business, and the World Bank is caught right in the middle of it.

The government’s inter-agency bids and award committee has ruled, following recommendations by the Department of Education’s technical working group, for the disqualification of the Vibal Group and two of its subsidiaries from the textbooks procurement bidding under the Second Social Expenditure Management Project funded by the World Bank. Vibal and its subsidiary corporations were reportedly disqualified from the bidding due to their having interlocking officers constituting conflict of interest.

Rex Bookstore now questions the reversal by World Bank executives of the government’s ruling disqualifying Vibal.

According to Harry Roque, counsel for Rex Bookstore, the World Bank should have looked into the complaint against the Vibal Group before disputing claims that fraud marred the procurement of textbooks under the World Bank-funded project.

Roque noted that the reversal of the ruling was made by Rekja Menon, a World Bank senior economist, without first being reviewed by the World Bank legal department.

Aside from Menon, included as respondents in the complaint filed before the World Bank Department of Institutional Integrity by Rex Bookstore are Fadia Saadah, WB sector manager for health, nutrition and population, and Dominique Aumentado, Philippine procurement specialist.

World Bank country director for the Philippines , East Asia and the Pacific Region Joachim Von Amsberg earlier said that it was the Philippine government that made the final selection in the procurement bidding. But Roque pointed out that with the World Bank opinion issued by Menon, reversing the IABAC ruling and the DepEd TWG recommendations, the World Bank virtually made the final selection.

Let us hope that Von Amrsberg was aware of the existence, if not the merits, of the complaint filed by Rex before he ruled out any irregularity.

Rex Bookstore is optimistic that the World Bank would remain as an institution of integrity while in the performance of their humanitarian and social mandate, as it investigates the actions of some of its executives.

Consumer empowerment

Consumer may not know it, but they have a very powerful piece of legislation on their side.

Just recently, the Department of Trade and Industry has issued an order prohibiting surcharges on credit card purchases, implementing the provisions of the Consumer Act. (Unfortunately, a few days ago, I checked out some establishment and found out that at least two appliance dealers still have separate prices for cash and credit card purchases) Let us hope that the DTI and other consumer rights advocacy groups undertake a massive campaign to inform consumers of their rights.

And now, Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago is invoking the Consumer Act to push shopping malls, hotels and other commercial establishments to provide free car-parking spaces for their patrons.

Santiago has authored House Bill 2691 which seeks to forbid shopping centers, hotels, commercial arcades and similar establishments from charging fees for the use of parking facilities or spaces within their premises.

The bill seeks to amend the Building Code, which mandates establishments to provide adequate parking spaces, but does not explicitly state whether or not such facilities should be extended free of charge to patrons.

Two Senate committees previously issued a joint report declaring that "a logical interpretation" of the Building Code would indicate that malls and similar establishments are "duty-bound to provide free parking."

The Senate committees on trade and industry and on justice and human rights, after conducting a joint inquiry in the previous Congress, denounced as "illegal" the collection of parking fees by malls and other business establishments.

The two Senate panels also urged the Office of the Solicitor General to take the necessary legal action in order to stop the continued collection of said fees.

Under HB 2691, a business establishment that collects, imposes, exacts or charges any fee for the use of parking spaces and facilities, shall be fined up to P500,000 per infraction. In addition, the owner and/or operator of the establishment shall face up to five years in prison.

The bill further provides that owners of commercial establishments seeking new building permits shall be required to submit sworn statements proclaiming that their parking facilities would be made available to patrons free of charge.

Parking facilities indeed have become a big business in this country. If this proposed piece of legislation is passed, regulations have to be strictly implemented. Otherwise, consumers might end up getting the raw end of the deal.

For comments, e-mail at [email protected]