A former assistant prosecutor at the Office of the Ombudsman questioned the bidding process of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for new vessels worth P2.1 billion for allegedly banning observers and members of the media.
Lawyer Faye Singson said BFAR’s special bids and awards committee (SBAC) did not allow reporters who were assigned to cover the bidding to ensure a fair and impartial process scheduled Thursday and Friday.
The projects under Bid Reference 2024-62 and 2024-63 involve the acquisition of multi-mission offshore vessels, refrigerated cargo vessels and steel-hulled fishing vessels, with a total project budget exceeding P2.1 billion.
Singson informed Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. the members of the SBAC violated several provisions of Government Procurement Reform Act of 2022. BFAR is an attached agency of the DA.
She said that under RA 9184, SEC. 13 states that “to enhance the transparency of the process, the BAC shall, in all stages of the procurement process, invite, in addition to the representative of the Commission on Audit.”
At least two observers should sit in its proceedings, one from a duly recognized private group in a sector or discipline relevant to the procurement at hand, and the other from a non-government organization including members of the media.
Singson said the law also promotes transparency and efficiency, encouraging the use of information and communications technology in the conduct of procurement procedures. She said there should be a single portal serving as the primary source of information on all government procurement.
