House to look into MCWD bulk water project

CEBU, Philippines - The House of Representatives is set to investigate alleged irregularities involving the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) Bulk Water Project.

This is in response to the letter of Jun Arigo, the president of the Cebu Association of Media Practitioners (CAMP), addressed to President Benigno Aquino III with a copy furnished letter to the office of the Speaker.

Lawyer Grace Andres, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the House Speaker, transmitted a copy of the letter to the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chaired by Rep. Oscar Rodriguez. The copy of the said open letter to Aquino was published in The FREEMAN December 24, 2013.

Arigo raised to the president some issues and concerns on the P6.3 billion worth of MCWD Bulk Water Project which was awarded to the Cebu Manila Water Development last December 13, 2013.

He alleged that the contract was given to a favored bidder and there was allegedly an attempt to “buy out” other bidders in the form of making them back out of the bidding process.

One reference in the bidding process requires the winning bidder to finish the multi-billion peso project in six months.

Arigo said that technical experts say even just a feasibility study about such a big and very complicated project would run even more than a year.

Other allegations include the bypassing of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in this deal and the violation of the Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Act.

There was reportedly a failure of bidding and there was allegedly no resetting of bid dates, instead the contract was awarded to a lone bidder.

Arigo expressed his willingness to be a whistleblower on the issue to make the administration come out clean and pure. — (FREEMAN)