EDITORIAL - Transparent procurement

From the purchase of pre-owned helicopters to rubber boats for relief work, several big-ticket procurement deals in the Philippine National Police are currently under investigation for corruption and other anomalies. Those scandals, for which several ranking PNP officials including retired ones are facing charges, should have prompted the PNP to streamline its procurement procedures and promote transparency in its activities.

Instead the PNP and its parent agency, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, are likely to be the subject of another investigation, this time involving the procurement of guns and ammunition. At the center of the controversy is DILG Undersecretary for peace and order Rico Puno, who will be replaced by Director General Nicanor Bartolome, currently the PNP chief.

Before the movements were announced by President Aquino, Puno was also reportedly asking for permission to do away with public bidding for P400 million worth of rifles for the PNP. This was after the PNP finalized a P1.98-billion deal for the purchase of 59,904 9mm handguns. Members of the PNP Bids and Awards Committee emphasized that the 9mm deal was aboveboard.

From penny ante crooks who shake down motorists, to top officials who go on overseas junkets with their wives while carrying large amounts of cash, to buying second-hand helicopters at brand-new prices, scandals continue to erode public trust in the PNP.

These problems need not persist. “Kotong” cops can be purged and prosecuted. Administrative and criminal charges can be brought against those who abuse their positions and misuse public funds. And the procurement system in the PNP can be streamlined to promote transparency and public accountability.

Rules can be set and strictly enforced for proper conduct between suppliers and members of bidding committees. Supply procurement can be speeded up by improving procedures and cutting red tape instead of resorting to negotiated contracts and doing away with public bidding. Several agencies are now posting their supply requirements, notices for bids, and details of actual procurements on their websites for public scrutiny. The DILG and PNP can do the same; transparency and public accountability are not impossible goals.