‘Deal for ASEAN Summit above board’ : Camera supplier breaks its silence
Their long silence has been broken.
The company that supplied and installed the wireless surveillance cameras and communications system during the 12th ASEAN Summit has debunked allegations made by a competitor that they supplied a cheap system that is very expensive to maintain.
Sonny Tacardon, managing director of Triton Communications Corportion, said that there is no truth to all the allegations hurled by Crisologo Saavedra, proprietor of Cebesos Development Corporation.
In fact, Tacardon said, their legal department is already looking into the possibility of taking legal action against Saavedra for maligning the integrity of Triton, the Department of Public Works and Highways and Philippine National Police.
Tacardon and other officials of Triton were in
Among Saavedra’s allegations are; Triton was disqualified as a bidder during the pre-qualification stage; Triton supplied and installed “cheap and a far more expensive system to maintain; Triton agreed to a payoff; Triton did not comply with the terms of reference in the contract and Triton withdrew the P15 million last tranche of the contract price despite the agreement to freeze the funds pending investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Tacardon said that while it is true that they were disqualified in the pre-qualification bidding, the disqualification was just based on technicality because the Bids and Awards Committee had a different interpretation of the bond they put up.
He explained that instead of using the word “surety bond” they wrote “bidders bond” that was made as the basis of Triton’s disqualification. Tacardon said they immediately filed a motion for reconsideration however the contract was already awarded to Saavedra.
When Saavedra failed to deliver, the contract was awarded to them. Tacardon said that Triton’s capability to supply the equipment should not be questioned because they are a corporation established in 1977 and duly licensed with the National Telecommunications Commission.
Among Triton’s previous projects are the supply of communication equipment for Intel Technologies Philippines, Incorporated; Cagayan De Oro Economic Zone Authority; Police Regional Office 7; ISAF base communication network and Philippine Navy low band communication system.
Tacardon said that they are a P100 million corporation with a paid up capital of P17 million.
According to him, they are more qualified to bid for the project than Saavedra, whose company only has a paid up capital of P50,000 based on the records at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tacardon added that Triton is the only authorized system distributor of Motorola in the
He said that the state-of-the-art wireless surveillance cameras and communication system that they supplied for the ASEAN Summit last January was the best in the market today.
“The surveillance cameras and the communication system are wireless and digital, they are a lot cheaper to maintain, contrary to self-serving opinion of others who obviously are not familiar with wireless technology,” Tacardon explained.
Tacardon said that they are now contemplating on filing a case against Saavedra because of his malicious allegations that Triton agreed to a pay-off to be able to get the project.
He also defended their collecting the P15 million last tranche of payment for the project saying that there was already a final acceptance of the project by the PNP and that there is no more legal obstacle for them to collect the payment.
Tacardon said that it is not illegal for the suspended DPWH officials to sign the disbursement vouchers because when the money was released the suspension was not yet in effect.—(/NLQ)
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