Noodle scam whistle-blower gets death threats

MANILA, Philippines - A man who bared the alleged P750-million noodle scam at the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday he has been receiving death threats and harassment since he came out with his expose last month.

Dennis Quido, sales manager of government supplier Kolonwell Trading, said he received threatening text messages on his mobile phone early this week, which he had already reported to the police Friday night.

Quido said that he received the first threat Tuesday night from an anonymous sender.

“Bilang na mga araw mo. Hindi mo alam kung sino ang mga tao na binangga mo (Your days are numbered. You don’t know who you messed with),” Quido said, quoting the text message.

Quido said their company had also noted the suspicious presence of vehicles around their office building in Sta. Cruz, Manila this week, which they reported to the Sta. Cruz police precinct.

Responding policemen accosted one such vehicle and found a man who claimed to be a National Bureau of Investigation agent with a mission order explaining his presence in the area.

While admitting that he was getting worried over his safety, Quido said the death threats and harassment would not stop him from speaking out against the anomalous noodle purchases at the DepEd.

“We will continue to push on and demand (that) the DepEd officials responsible for the purchase of the expensive noodles to be punished and prosecuted, and call for a rebidding of the noodle supply contract,” Quido told the Star in an interview.

Quido also reiterated a plea to Sen. Manuel Roxas II, chairman of the Senate committee on education, to push ahead with their probe of the P750-million overpriced noodle procurement of DepEd for the last five to six years that were all bagged by a perennial lone bidder, Jeverps Manufacturing Corp.

He made the expose during a Senate hearing on the DepEd’s school feeding program.

Quido said they expect no results from the “in-house” probe the DepEd vowed to conduct.

DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus “had already pre-judged the award of the contract as ‘aboveboard’ in media interviews. How can his subordinates come out with a fair and transparent probe?” Quido said.

He said Lapus should have cancelled the award of the contract to Jeverps, instead of merely suspending it.

“Secretary Lapus should explain why he has not ordered the cancellation of the award of the contract and why he is not pushing for a re-bidding,” Quido told The STAR in an earlier interview.

Quido said many other people are telling them of other overpriced contracts and disadvantageous transactions allegedly involving DepEd officials.