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Tolentino wants Senate bill abolishing PS-DBM included in proposed new procurement law
Philippines
National
Tolentino wants Senate bill abolishing PS-DBM included in proposed new procurement law
Tolentino wants Senate bill abolishing PS-DBM included in proposed new procurement law
Published Jul 30, 2023 08:17 am
Senator Francis Tolentino on Sunday, July 30 called for the inclusion of some pending anti-graft bills to the proposed new procurement law that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. seeks to be prioritized.
Sen. Francis Tolentino (Senate PRIB Photo)
One of the anti-graft measures Tolentino is pushing for is Senate Bill No. 1802, which seeks to abolish the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), the primary government agency involved in various anomalous contracts. Tolentino filed the measure following the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into the alleged anomalous purchase by the Department of Education (DepEd) of outdated and overpriced laptops for public school teachers. The senator said the abolition of the PS-DBM can be part of the provisions of the proposed new Government Procurement Code that President Marcos has requested from Congress during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week. “Pinapa-abolish na po natin ang PS-DBM, at ang mamimili na lang po ay ang mga end-users dahil sila naman po ang gagamit nun—yung mga bureaus, mga offices, yung mga state universities, at kabilang na din ang mga LGUs (We want the abolition of the PS-DBM, and the only buyers are the end-users because they are the ones who will use it—the bureaus, the offices, the state universities, and that includes LGUs,” Tolentino said in an interview on Radio DZBB. “Sa totoo lang, anim na bills na yung na file ko sa (Actually, I filed six bills related to) procurement. So, ito iko-consolidate na lang kung mayroong bagong version ng (So this will be consolidated in the new version of the) Republic Act No. 1984—yung Procurement Act natin—isasama na lang po dito (Our Procurement Law, it will just be included here),” the senator added. Tolentino is also pushing for Senate Bill No. 1803 which seeks the registration of all future joint ventures that will participate in governmetn bidding with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Tolentino also sought the passage into law of Senate Bill Nos. 2272 and 2273, which mandate full transparency and full disclosure on the part of the government in future supply agreements and purchase contracts as well as requiring the participation of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) in negotiating with foreign governments. According to Tolentino, he filed the bill in response to the Senate blue ribbon panel’s probe on the government purchase of Covid-19 vaccines. “Dapat wala na po yung non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Dapat open na po ‘yan (We have to do away with NDAs. It should be open),” he pointed out. Tolentino also said he hopes that Senate Bill No. 618 and Senate Bill No. 619 be included in the proposed new procurement law. Senate Bill No. 618 primarily seeks to establish a uniform warehousing and inventory system for all government procuring entities. On the other hand, Senate Bill No. 619 mandates all government suppliers, contractors, and consultants to submit necessary requirements to prove their respective financial capacity.
Sen. Francis Tolentino (Senate PRIB Photo)
One of the anti-graft measures Tolentino is pushing for is Senate Bill No. 1802, which seeks to abolish the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), the primary government agency involved in various anomalous contracts. Tolentino filed the measure following the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into the alleged anomalous purchase by the Department of Education (DepEd) of outdated and overpriced laptops for public school teachers. The senator said the abolition of the PS-DBM can be part of the provisions of the proposed new Government Procurement Code that President Marcos has requested from Congress during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week. “Pinapa-abolish na po natin ang PS-DBM, at ang mamimili na lang po ay ang mga end-users dahil sila naman po ang gagamit nun—yung mga bureaus, mga offices, yung mga state universities, at kabilang na din ang mga LGUs (We want the abolition of the PS-DBM, and the only buyers are the end-users because they are the ones who will use it—the bureaus, the offices, the state universities, and that includes LGUs,” Tolentino said in an interview on Radio DZBB. “Sa totoo lang, anim na bills na yung na file ko sa (Actually, I filed six bills related to) procurement. So, ito iko-consolidate na lang kung mayroong bagong version ng (So this will be consolidated in the new version of the) Republic Act No. 1984—yung Procurement Act natin—isasama na lang po dito (Our Procurement Law, it will just be included here),” the senator added. Tolentino is also pushing for Senate Bill No. 1803 which seeks the registration of all future joint ventures that will participate in governmetn bidding with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Tolentino also sought the passage into law of Senate Bill Nos. 2272 and 2273, which mandate full transparency and full disclosure on the part of the government in future supply agreements and purchase contracts as well as requiring the participation of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) in negotiating with foreign governments. According to Tolentino, he filed the bill in response to the Senate blue ribbon panel’s probe on the government purchase of Covid-19 vaccines. “Dapat wala na po yung non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Dapat open na po ‘yan (We have to do away with NDAs. It should be open),” he pointed out. Tolentino also said he hopes that Senate Bill No. 618 and Senate Bill No. 619 be included in the proposed new procurement law. Senate Bill No. 618 primarily seeks to establish a uniform warehousing and inventory system for all government procuring entities. On the other hand, Senate Bill No. 619 mandates all government suppliers, contractors, and consultants to submit necessary requirements to prove their respective financial capacity.