THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has recommended the filing of graft charges against several current and former officers of the National Printing Office (NPO) in connection with the alleged anomalous multimillion printing deal with three private companies.

NBI Director Dante A. Gierran, in a 7-page letter to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, has recommended the prosecution of the following: NPO Director Sherwin Prose C. Castañeda, former officer-in-charge Rolando L. Caluag, employee Myralyn P. Soriano, retired employee Ruben G. Dancel, Western Visayas Printing Corp. Vice-President Edwin D. Malapajo, Bestforms, Inc. President Benjamin L. Yam, Triprint Corp. President Ramil V. Tamayo, and Metrocolor Corp. General Manager Celso S. Viray.

The case stemmed from the multimillion contract awarded by the Social Security System (SSS) to the NPO for the bulk purchase of 870,000 pads of Contributions Payment Form for the fiscal year 2016.

Mr. Gierran said the NBI Anti-Fraud Division’s investigation showed that while the NPO accorded a printing contract with Western Visayas Printing Corp., work orders worth multimillion were relegated to the three other firms.

Best Forms Security Printer got a P34-million contract; Tri-Print Work, P27 million; and Metro Color, P15 million.

The NBI discovered that the NPO made a deal with the companies where the agency will pay them “after the completion of the job/work order on running basis.”

The agency said that such contracts were “contrary to a proper contract of lease, where the NPO is supposed to simply rent the printing machines and use these for its printing jobs. This printing machine, owing to the security nature of the printing jobs, should also be within the control of the NPO, and operated by its personnel.”

The NBI also said NPO entered into a contract that is “clearly disadvantageous” to the government as the NPO received a 15% share of the profits from the deal while 85% went to the private companies.

“This is clearly disadvantageous to the government and punishable under RA 3019 also known as Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” the NBI said.

The NBI investigation was undertaken following a request from Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jose Ruperto Martin M. Andanar.

The NPO is an attached agency of the PCO. — Kristine Joy V. Patag

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