PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has asked Congress to amend Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Act, to help resolve the corruption in government.

“Alam mo ang nakaloko dito sa Pilipinas? ‘Yung procurement law, ‘yang lowest bidder na ‘yan, alisin ninyo,” Mr. Duterte said in remarks at the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption’s Anti-Corruption Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

(You know what is not right in the Philippines? The procurement law, that lowest bidder, remove that.)

“Kayong mga negosyante. Bidding. P***. Lowest bid, sinong nagbi-bid? Eh ‘di ang sindikato, automatic,” he added.

(You businessmen. Bidding. P***. Lowest bid, who’s bidding? The syndicate, of course).

Mr. Duterte recently cited cases of winning bidders with the lowest prices but who “deliver(ed) the worst” services. He said the procurement law has become a source of corruption in government.

Amending the procurement law is a legislative priority of Congress and the Executive Department. On Sept. 20, the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council agreed to focus more on curbing corruption in the procurement process.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez recently updated the agency on his discussions with Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno on how to move forward with the amendments to the procurement law.

Mr. Duterte also lamented the red tape in the bureaucracy and the slow processing of business permits.

In the last LEDAC meeting, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia also highlighted the importance of “drastically reducing bureaucratic red tape by simplifying regulations and making them more transparent to minimize the opportunities for corruption.” — Rosemarie A. Zamora

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