Comelec to ban supplier of controversial ballot secrecy folders

MANILA, Philippines - The new head of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) vowed yesterday to ban OTC Paper Supply, which was initially contracted to supply the controversial ballot secrecy folders for the May 10 elections.

Lawyer Ferdinand Rafanan, BAC chairman, said that OTC should be banned from dealing with the poll body pending the investigation being conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman on the contract.

“I think it (OTC) should be blacklisted for the meantime. While you still have this problem, although it is not yet final, why should we allow more problems to crop up,” said Rafanan, also the current head of the Comelec’s Law Department.

The Ombudsman had imposed a six-month preventive suspension against Comelec executive director Jose Tolentino and former BAC chair Maria Lea Alarkon and former BAC members Allen Francis Abaya, Maria Norina Casingal, Martin Niedo and Antonio Santella for their involvement in the contract with OTC.

The company was tapped to supply some P687-million worth of folders that were to be used by voters in the May 10 polls to keep prying eyes away from their ballots. 

The Comelec had cancelled the contract after it was discovered that the ballot secrecy folders were too expensive at P389 each.

The Ombudsman was acting on the report of the panel, headed by Rafanan, that initially investigated the contract. The panel found that the transaction was disadvantageous to the government.

Rafanan said there were still some contracts related to some election “non-accountable forms” used in the May 10 polls that Comelec Chairman Jose Melo refused to sign pending a review of the contracts.

Rafanan could not immediately identify these contacts but noted that the BAC would be evaluating them.

The official had vowed that BAC would have a more transparent bidding process to ensure value-for-money in Comelec transactions.

He added that BAC dealings would be open to public scrutiny to keep irregularities at bay.