NBI Carriedo contract to be reviewed

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will review the contract entered into by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with the owner of Carriedo Plaza building in Sta. Cruz, Manila to determine if the agreement is indeed grossly disadvantageous to the government and the public as reported, acting Secretary Merceditas Gutierrez said yesterday.

The upper three floors of the six-story building on Carriedo and Estero Cegado streets in Sta. Cruz houses the NBI’s new clearance center.

It has been reported to authorities that applicants for NBI clearance are charged P20 each to cover the costs incurred by the owner in refurbishing the building.

With an average of 10,000 people applying for an NBI clearance everyday, this translates to a P200,000 daily income for the building owner or P4 million a month.

"Let’s see how the NBI center operates. We will look into the complaints against the NBI’s use of that area," Gutierrez said.

According to the justice chief, the NBI explained that there is a need to transfer its clearance center to Carriedo from Taft Avenue because it has a bigger and more comfortable space for the transacting public.

"We will find out if it is really now more convenient for the applicants to obtain clearances, with the air-conditioning units and all. Now, as to the price the owner is asking (from the applicants), I was told that the NBI committees studied the matter carefully," Gutierrez said.

"I have asked for the documents regarding the project and we’ll try to assess whether it is really for the good of the government and the public to pay this extra amount for entering the center," she added.

The NBI had argued that it did not spend a single centavo for the new building and that payment for its use would come from the entrance fee collected from applicants.

Gutierrez said other violations of the NBI with regards to the transfer of the center would be investigated.

On Aug. 15, 2003, former DOJ secretary Simeon Datumanong approved NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco’s request for authority to enter into a contract with a private entity for the relocation of the NBI’s clearance processing area.

The approval of the request, however, states that a clearance or certificate from the Department of Public Works and Highways-Bureau of Maintenance should be obtained to determine whether there is available government property or building facilities to accommodate the NBI clearance section.

In the event that there is no available government property the NBI will enter into a contract with a private entity subject to the following limitations:

•The building establishment that will house the separate clearance processing area must be solely or exclusively for the use of the bureau and no other tenants should occupy any or part of the building premises.

•The building must be located in an area, which is free from traffic congestion, with ample parking spaces for the applicants and employees, not densely populated and would not pose security problems.

•The area where the transacting public could apply for clearance must preferably be situated or located at the ground floor of the building for the convenience and ease of the applicants.

Critics said the NBI had apparently failed to comply with the requirements set by the DOJ in relocating its new clearance center.