Consultant cries foul over alleged anomaly

 CEBU, Philippines - Consultant Pedro Adonis Compendio called as “disturbing, unfair and is based on misinformation” the allegation of Crisologo Saavedra that he was involved in an anomaly in the bidding for the construction of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority Administration Building.

In a letter to The FREEMAN, Compendio said there was no “collusion” in the bidding for the MCIAA building and that he was not a “party to any collusion.”

“It has been a very long time that I reacted to any item in the newspapers…I find it disturbing, unfair and is based on misinformation,” he said.

Compendio said he never tarnished his name in over 30 years as consultant and that he has never participated in anomalous transactions.

He also explained that the consultancy contract they entered into for the MCIAA building came in two phases.

“The original is for the detailed engineering design, that went through a competitive bidding and the additional, construction management phase, that was a negotiated contracts, allowed under existing government guidelines,” the letter reads.

He said Dakay Construction and Young Builders Construction never participated in a “hocus pocus.”

“Dakay Construction is a noted credible-professional contractor that I know, does not participate in any hocus pocus in government nor private biddings and at that time Young Builders Construction is a well known Cebu based private contractor, the original contractors of high rise buildings in Cebu with a good track record and never known to engage in bidding baddies,” the letter further reads.

Saavedra told the Office of the Ombudsman that it was only recently that he learned that Compendio “was awarded without competitive bidding,” which violates the Procurement Reform Act.

Based on the documents Saavedra filed before the anti-graft office, Compendio allegedly received P1,900,000 for being the consultant for the planning and detailed engineering design of the MCIAA Administration Building.

Saavedra also alleged that the construction of the building was awarded to Young Builders, but the building was left unfinished after the contractor collected P64,783,158.92.

Saavedra also asked the Ombudsman to take note “that the difference from the bid price of Dakay Construction (one of the losing bidders in the bidding for the MCIAA Admin Bldg.) P19,988,888 and of Young’s Builder of P119,781,375.09, please find attached bid offer of Young’s Builder has very small variance of P207,503.91, which is unrealistic for a competitive bidding.”

But Compendio said that the P207,503.91 difference with the bid of Dakay Construction and Young Builders Construction can never be a basis of an “arranged bid.”

He said the suspension of the left structure of the building was not their work, but of MCIAA. Still, they have given assistance to the airport administration to complete the project, which is reflected in “complete documentations of the project.”

Earlier, Saavedra asked Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol for an urgent investigation into the alleged technical malversation of government funds and “collusion” in the bidding.

He asked the anti-graft office to investigate former MCIAA manager Adelberto Yap; members of the Bids and Awards Committee Siefredo Dublin, Bienvenido Malayang II and Veronica Ordonez; all members of the MCIAA Board of Directors; the participating bidder namely: Pericles Dakay of Dakay Construction and Nelson Yu of Young Builders and Compendio.

Saavedra said he included the participating bidders in the letter request because of the alleged “connivance” with the bidders, Compendio and BAC members.  (FREEMAN)