THE caterer of food for 40,000 inmates of the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City and four other regional prisons challenged on Tuesday Bureau of Corrections director-general Benjamin delos Santos to “prove he is clean and that he is not corrupt” in the negotiations of the so-called “single largest contract issue.”
At a news conference in Quezon City, Lorna Kapunan, lawyer of Mang Kiko Catering Services Inc., questioned BuCor for its plan to terminate its “emergency contract” with the catering firm in July, and to tap another catering services purportedly belonging to a member of Lex Taliones fraternity.
She asked the timing of BuCor not to renew the contract of Mang Kiko when the issue of the supposed “food poisoning” at the national penitentiary on May 25 and May 26 broke out.
“Six months ago, Mang Kiko won the bidding to cater food for the inmates of Leyte [Regional Prisons in Abuyog, Leyte], Davao [Prison Farm in Panabo, Davao del Norte], [Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa City] Palawan, and [San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in] Zamboanga City in July this year and until December. What we have now is just an emergency contract to lapse by the end of June,” she told reporters.
She said BuCor’s bids and awards committee, headed by Dr. Cynthia Andrada, officer in charge of the Assessment and Rehabilitation Program Development and Monitoring Division, declared the December 2016 bidding a failure on the ground of collusion.
As far as the catering services company is concerned, Kapunan said “Andrada will have to face administrative and criminal charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for graft, partiality in bad faith, violation of Code of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, gross neglect and misconduct.”
“It is illegal not to award the catering to Mang Kiko. The committee said the bidding was ineffective, and that a rebidding was necessary. Mang Kiko had already won the bid for the provincial colonies. There is no legal basis for a rebid,” she stressed.
Last May 18, BuCor's BAC called for a bidding of the 2017 catering services for the prisoners of NBP and Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City at the amount of P184,478,400 (lot 1), P91,223,520 (lot 2) and P29,478,840 (lot 3).
“Yes, because the single largest completed contract requirement was disregarded,” said Navarro when asked if Mang Kiko questioned the May 18 bidding.
He was referring to the contract awarding of the consolidated catering services for Metro Manila and the regional prison colonies between BuCor and Mang Kiko.
“Why is this so?” Kapunan asked.
“We are requesting Delos Santos to prove if he is a truly clean officer just what the President [Rodrigo Duterte] thinks of him.”
She said Mang Kiko has fully met the financial and technical requirements to provide food for the 40,000 inmates for three meals at P50 a day per inmate, while the other prospective bidders could not pass the required bid specifications.
One of the prospective bidders allegedly has a connection with a member of Lex Taliones fraternity, she said.
Delos Santos, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and the President belong to San Beda College's Lex Taliones fraternity.
Two of the 1,212 NBP inmates died due to dehydration, hypovolemic shock and diabetes type 2.
The jail management blamed Mang Kiko for the alleged food poisoning of the inmates.
“The Department of Health has just said that the inmates fell ill and suffered diarrhea due to the contaminated water, and not due to the food we serve,” Kapunan said.
“For as long as the century-old (underground) and corroded pipes are there, the drinking water at the NBP will always be contaminated with e-choli bacteria.”
“We have employed dietitians and nutritionists, graduates of the University of the Philippines and Polytechnic University of the Philippines, helping us come up with nutritious menus and safe food,” Navarro told reporters.
