Bidder smells favoritism in MCIA security contract

A bidder for the P12-million-a-year contract in connection with the plan to augment security measures at the Mactan Cebu International Airport yesterday expressed surprise at the announcement made by a top airport official that the public bidding was won by the Philippine Aviation Security Service Corporation.

Lester Mendoza, president of the BA Investigation and Security Agency, Inc. said that his firm's request for review of bids and awards committee recent statement that BAISA failed to pass the post qualification requirements is still pending and must be resolved first before the contract is awarded.

"The evaluation procedure conducted by the BAC on eligibility, technical and financial requirements submitted by BAISA was flawed since we have fully complied with all of them," Mendoza claimed.

BAISA officials quoted MCIAA general manager Adelberto Yap saying that the security agency submitted a "surprisingly low quotation," but the bids and awards committee disqualified it.

Mendoza said Yap is the chairman of the board of PASSCOR based in the general information sheet filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Yap vouched for the firm's track record in aviation security.

When asked regarding the complaint aired by BAISA officials, Yap denied he influence the results of the bidding conducted by the BAC although he admitted he sits as chairman of the board of PASSCOR.

He further said that the bidding followed normal procedures.

"PASSCOR security guards are not ordinary guards, they can be assigned anywhere in the airport's restricted areas," he said.

But some airport officials said that even if the proper procedures were followed during the bidding, his being PASSCOR general manager might have influenced the bidding.

"Pilde na kami nga daan kay ang usa sa tag-iya og opisyal sa PASSCOR mao gud ang mudesisyon kinsa ang padag-on sukwahi sa patakaran nga walay angayan nga paboran," an official of the security agency said.

He also cited an opinion of the Commission on Audit central office in the audit report they conducted of the Manila International Airport in 2000 saying that grant contract renewals/extension or make an award of contract for security services only after competitive public bidding had been conducted to arrive at a fair price and to eliminate favoritism and anomalous practice.

But Yap countered that BAISA just because it submitted a lower bid". He also said BAISA has ordinary blue guards and lacks aviation security experience compared to PASSCOR.

But BAISA officials denied this saying that they train their guards about aviation. BAISA officials said they even hired former airport police chief Joseph Togonon to assist them in complying with the necessary requirements.

Documents showed that BAISA submitted a bid of P11.6 million compared to PASSCOR's P12 million. -Jose P. Sollano