Villar orders livestreaming of public works procurement process to ‘reduce corruption’
PUBLIC WORKS and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar said Sunday that his department will be livestreaming its bidding activities on social media as an anti-corruption measure.
Mr. Villar said he ordered all implementing offices to “use and maintain their official websites and/or social media platforms as sources of critical procurement information for the public.”
Department Order No. 105 series of 2020, which Mr. Villar signed on Nov. 3, contains the directives, which also include livestreaming via official websites or social media platforms “the procurement process whenever the relevant committee or body is required to convene or meet.”
“Observers duly authorized by the concerned Bids and Awards Committee to monitor the procurement proceedings online shall be allowed, provided that such observers do not have any direct or indirect interest in the contract to be bidded out,” according to the department order.
“Non-compliance with the… directives shall be a ground for administrative sanction against the erring public official or employee, in accordance with civil service laws, rules, and regulations, and other relevant laws,” it added.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte issued Administrative Order No. 34 on Oct. 23 reiterating the principles of transparency and accountability in public service and directing government offices to avoid irregularities in procurement.
In a televised speech Friday, Mr. Duterte said: “We are still investigating DPWH. Ang DPWH ang pinaka-racket diyan is ‘yung ghost project. So walang delivery, ghost project. Marami ‘yan (The biggest DPWH racket is ghost projects. There are a lot of projects that are never delivered.)”
On the same day, the DPWH announced that the contractor blacklist totaled 25 companies dating to 2016.
“This is a testament that collusion between contractors and DPWH officials is not being tolerated. If any of our implementing offices are tolerating erring contractors by letting them continue with their projects without sanctioning them, the Department will not hesitate in imposing disciplinary action against them,” Mr. Villar said in a statement Friday. — Arjay L. Balinbin
