Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez is seeking for the abolition of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), the office currently at the center of congressional investigations on allegedly questionable purchases of medical supplies.
In filing House Bill 10222, Rodriguez noted that PS-DBM “has also been hounded by allegations of improper procedure and overpriced acquisitions.”
The proposed measure also mandates national government agencies, including state-owned or -controlled corporations, colleges and universities, and local government units (LGUs) to do their own purchase of supplies after the PS-DBM is abolished.
Rodriguez said the 1987 Constitution, which directs the state to “maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and to take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption,” and Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, have made the PS-DBM irrelevant and redundant.
He further claimed that the Budget Department’s procurement arm was created to take advantage of economies of scale by handling purchases of common-use supplies and equipment.
“However, the passage of RA 9184 undermines the mandate of the PS-DBM through the inclusion of relevant provisions that strengthen the procurement service of national government agencies,” Rodriguez said.
One such provision is the creation of the Government Procurement Policy Board and the bids and awards committee (BAC) in each agency, according to the lawmaker.
In Rodriguez’s proposed measure, those personnel who will be affected with the abolition will be paid with separation and retirement benefits under the existing laws.
Rodriguez said there would be a transition period of one year, during which the Budget department’s procurement arm would make an inventory of purchased supplies and deliver these to agencies.
He said the funds transferred or advanced by agencies to PS-DBM would revert back to the national treasury.
The Department of Health transferred at least P42 billion to the PS-DBM for the procurement of COVID-19 supplies in 2020.
The alleged overpriced purchase of face shields and face masks are being investigated by the Congress. —KBK, GMA News
House leader seeks abolition of PS-DBM
Source: Balita News
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