‘PALARO’ MEDALS ARRIVE 6 DAYS LATE

ILOILO CITY— Amid corruption allegations, medals and trophies for winners in the 2017 Palarong Pambansa being held in Antique province were turned in at the eleventh hour, a day before the closing of the national athletic competition.

The supplier 1-6-8 School and Office Supplies delivered the last batch of 3,600 medals (925 gold, 925 silver, 1,150 bronze, 600 ordinary) and 24 trophies only on Friday, according to the firm’s lawyer Eduardo Fortaleza.

Fortaleza blamed the provincial government, which was hosting the event, and its bids and awards committee (BAC) for the delay.

The BAC awarded the contract to 1-6-8 only in the afternoon of April 26 or three days after the national athletic competition formally opened on April 23.

The supplier bagged the contract after it submitted the lowest quotation of P562,900, lower than the approved budget for the contract of P863,800.

Nicolasito Calawag, BAC chair, said 1-6-8 was initially disqualified because it failed to submit samples of the medals as required by the office of the governor, the procurement entity.

The BAC required 1-6-8 to present samples of the product on April 20 but the supplier requested if it could submit the items, which were procured from China, on the next day.

Calawag said the BAC decided on April 22 to disqualify 1-6-8 after it failed to submit the samples.

But in a meeting on April 25, the BAC granted the motion for reconsideration submitted by 1-6-8 and awarded the contract after the samples were submitted.

But Fortaleza questioned why the supplier was directed to submit samples only on April 18 when the request for quotation was opened on April 11.

He said that because of the delay in the awarding of the contract, the supplier was required to deliver the items immediately even if it was allowed to do so within a week of the contract awarding.

Highest bidder

Fortaleza said the firm also learned that initial winners of the games were given medals allegedly supplied by SOS store, which submitted the highest quotation.

He said there were “clear irregularities” committed in the procurement process and his client was pressured to comply with an “unreasonable deadline.”

The 1-6-8 firm plans to file criminal and administrative charges against those involved in the procurement process for violation of the Republic Act No. 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act) and Republic Act No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standard for Public Officials and Employees), according to Fortaleza.

Hitches have also been reported in the organizing of the events, including lack of sleeping accommodations for athletes who came early.