DND chief forms committee to probe helicopter contract

The Philippines is investigating complaints by a Polish helicopter maker of irregularities in the bidding for six attack choppers, a spokesman said Thursday.

Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro has created a committee to look into the allegations by PZL Swidnik “that there have been steps in the bidding process that were not followed strictly or were violated to favour the winning bidder” US firm, McDonnell Douglas.

The contract, amounting to $29 million, is for six helicopters capable of launching attacks at night, said Teodoro’s spokesman Nelson Victoriano.

The secretary is not “passing judgement on these allegations” but just wants to ensure that the bidding is free of irregularities, Victoriano added.

   He said Swidnik had charged that it was disqualified from the bidding for flimsy reasons and that the MD 530F helicopter, offered by the winning bidder, did not qualify with the specifications sought by Manila.

The contract has not been awarded yet but the US firm is apparently the only one that qualified, Victoriano said.

The committee, made up of defence undersecretaries and other officials, will submit its findings by January 21 and if there are any irregularities, the contract will be scrapped, he added.

The investigation will likely slow down the acquisition of the helicopters, which the military says are crucial for bolstering the government’s fight against communist guerrillas and Muslim extremists.

“We need these choppers badly,” said Victoriano.