DepEd officials face more raps over "rigged" bids

CEBU, Philippines - Another complaint was filed against top officials of the Department of Education-Cebu province over the alleged anomalous bidding of P17-million worth of school furniture.

Ramagal Door and Sash Manufacturing represented by its lawyer Rolando Pedroza wants the Office of the Visayas-Ombudsman look into the alleged irregularities made by the Bids and Awards Committee-Cebu province when they conducted bidding of P17-million school furniture in order to protect the interests of the government.

Pedroza also asked the Office of the Visayas Ombudsman to preventively suspend all the members of the Bids and Awards Committee of the Department of Education-Cebu province pending investigation.

The BAC is headed by Judiana Corriente while its members include Romualdo Abella, Daria Sarsalejo, Norberto Torbeso and Willie Adonay Jr.

According to Pedroza, the suspension of the DepEd officials is important to preserve the documents related to the transactions and to prevent them from influencing the outcome of the investigation.

Aside from the BAC members, Ramagal also wants the Office of the Visayas Ombudsman include the investigation Dr. Serena Uy who retired from service early this year.

Ramagal in their complaint alleged that the anomalous and questionable transaction can easily be seen in the way the Department of Education-Cebu province BAC circumvented the bidding procedures and twisted the provisions of Republic Act No. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations to give special and preferential treatment to a favored bidder.

Ramagal also accused BAC members who are very strict to them and another contractor, JEC Lumber Corp., while at the same time “extending every conceivable leniency and favor” to Gala Industries, Corp.

When the bid pushed through and the BAC determined JEC Lumber as the lowest bidder at P17,228,446.60.

The next lowest bidder was Ramagal Door and Sash Manufacturing at P17,359,963.00 while the bid of Gala Industries, Inc. was the highest at P17,683,555.00.

But BAC then allegedly disqualified JEC Lumber and Ramagal Door and Sash Manufacturing during post-qualification and favored Gala Industries, Inc.

Based on the Notice of Post-Disqualification, BAC stated that it disqualified JEC Lumber as it provided false information regarding the date of the completion of its furniture project in 2005.

BAC said there was no Certificate of Final Acceptance signed by DepEd-7 Director Recaredo Borgonia and veracity in the Authority of Signatory.

JEC Lumber then filed a motion for reconsideration. But BAC denied its motion and eventually awarded the project to Gala Industries, Inc.

Ramagal further claimed that the transaction entered into by the Bids and Awards Committee of the Department of Education-Cebu province is clearly disadvantageous to the government and caused wastage of public funds when it awarded the contract to Gala Industries Corporation which quoted a higher price of P17,760,000 compared to the first and second lowest calculated bidder, which quoted P17,228,000 and they Ramagal P17,350,000.

Two weeks ago JEC Lumber Corp., through its lawyer Manuelito Inso, filed a complaint against Borgonia, Cebu Provincial School Division Superintendent Arden Monisit and former provincial school division superintendent Serena Uy over the alleged anomalous transactions amounting to P45 million..

Borgonia, officer-in-charge of DepEd-7, had served as provincial schools division superintendent from January 2004 to January 2008.

Uy was the school division superintendent of DepEd-Cebu from January 2008 until his retirement in January 2009. She was replaced by Monisit.

In its complaint, JEC Lumber said the biddings of DepEd-7 for school furniture projects in 2006 (amounting to P13 million), in 2007 (worth P17 million), and in 2008 (amounting to P14 million) were anomalous.

The DepEd officials have denied any anomaly in the biddings. 

As this developed, Cebu First District Rep. Eduardo Gullas and Muntinlupa City Lone District Rep. Ruffy Biazon announced their support to the House Resolution filed by Akbayan Party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros Baraquel urging for a congressional inquiry of the alleged irregularities of the Department of Education in Cebu province. — Jose P. Sollano/BRP (THE FREEMAN)