NPO warns of possible increase in number of fake government papers, receipts

MANILA, Philippines - The National Printing Office (NPO) has warned that the number of fake government papers, receipts, and documents would rise if the agency loses control of the printing of official accountable and standard forms of national government agencies and local government units.

Dionisia Valbuena, erstwhile NPO officer-in-charge, said as the printer of government forms, the NPO plays a vital role of ensuring the integrity of important government papers and documents.

“With the present suggestion of (Deputy Executive) Secretary (Manuel) Gaite, there is no means for the government to check the propriety of the steps being undertaken by agencies and instrumentalities intending to source out their printing requirements outside NPO,” she said.

“This exposes government forms to forgery, falsification, proliferation of fake forms and/or printing.

“Under such circumstances, government will not only lose valuable government revenue but will likewise endanger the integrity of government transactions using standard and accountable forms.”

In a position paper sent to President Arroyo last March 19, 2009, Valbuena said Gaite had erred in some of his “sweeping statements” in his legal opinion.

“The sweeping statement of Secretary Gaite that EO 378 is the sole prevailing law that governs the matter of requisitioning and printing of accountable forms with money value and other specialized accountable forms by the concerned offices/agencies is highly inaccurate if not erroneous,” she said.

“What EO 378 removed from the NPO is only its exclusive jurisdiction over printing services. It did not in any way remove from the NPO the authority to conduct subcontract biddings with respect to printing jobs from requisitioning government agencies and instrumentalities pursuant to Memorandum Order No. 38.”

Valbuena said Gaite’s legal opinion would jeopardize the NPO’s efforts to embark on a modernization of its facilities to enable the agency to accept jobs for the printing of all official and standard accountable forms of government agencies and LGUs.

“On the practical side, NPO has been mandated to have a modernization program and cope with the recent advances in technology. Section 3 of EO 378 however limits the amount to be appropriated NPO’s program, project and activities to its income without additional financial support from the government,” she said.

Valbuena said the NPO had managed to put up adequate funds amounting to P27 million per special allotment release order no. SARO-BMB-C-08-0018458 sourced from income of its operation to jump-start its modernization.

“However, should we adhere to the supposition of Secretary Gaite, government agencies and instrumentalities will shy away from NPO for their printing requirements,” she said.

“Unless we correct the inaccurate and misleading opinion of Secretary Gaite, funds will not come in and as a consequence, NPO will die a natural death.”

In a legal opinion, Gaite declared that the NPO should no longer conduct subcontract public biddings of the multi-million peso printing contracts of other government agencies and LGUs.

Executive Order 378 issued by President Arroyo on Oct. 25, 2004 had removed the exclusive jurisdiction over printing services, he added.

Gaite, who was recently named a commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission to replace Jesus Martinez, had issued the legal opinion against the NPO’s sub-contracting practice in response to a request from the finance department’s Bureau of Local Government Finance.

The bureau has been complaining of the delays in the delivery of vital forms such as official receipts by the NPO’s contracted private printers.