Duterte eyeing amending procurement act
President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing amending the Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Act to address corruption.
According to Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, during the Cabinet meeting on Friday, Budget and Management Acting Secretary Wendel Avisado and Government Procurement Policy Board Executive Director Rowena Ruiz briefed about the ongoing interventions and planned initiatives for efficient, effective, and responsive government procurement to "curb corruption in the government".
"The President wanted to initiate a move to introduce an amendment to Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Act from “lowest calculated responsive bid” to “most responsive and advantageous bid", Panelo said in a statement.
Panelo said Duterte also approved the request of Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on the Enhanced Partnership against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) which is geared towards addressing hunger mitigation, food security and poverty reduction.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque and Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire shared the Department of Health’s response plans on the re-emergence of polio and increase in diphtheria cases in the country.
"The DOH intensified its information drive for better understanding of diseases and what the people should do. The DOH advised the public to complete the rounds of immunization, maintain proper hygiene and participate in their supplemental activities," he said.
Duterte is set to review the proposed executive order of the Department of Energy on creating an inter-agency body that will provide an oil contingency policy and review fuel purchase, conservation, substitution, and rationing, among others, in times of crisis.
"The DOE also introduced amendments in the Republic Act No No. 8479 or the Oil Deregulation Act of 1998. These include the granting of power to the Secretary of Energy to define the maximum price of oil, and to authorize the unbundling of price of oil products," said Panelo.
Panelo said Energy Secretary Cusi and Assistant Gerardo Erguiza also discussed the Nuclear Energy Agreement with a company in Russia which the president wanted to study first.
"The DOE reiterated that the Memorandum of Intent signed last October 4, 2019 was a framework for discussion and not for a particular construction of a small modular reactor ," Panelo said.
Duterte then congratulated Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año; and Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu for their efforts to rehabilitate Boracay which was recently recognized as the best island in Asia.
According to Panelo, Puyat along with Nayong Pilipino Executive Director Michelle Aguilar-Ong, talked about the development of the New Nayong Pilipino Park located in Paranaque.
"It was approved that there will be a hybrid scheme to develop the Nayong Pilipino Cultural Park and Recreation Facility which means that the government will shoulder its construction and that the Bases Conversion and Development Authority will bid out its operations and management," he said.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar enumerated the measures they have done to address the declining price of palay.
Panelo said these includes increase of National Food Authority’s palay buying stations to service more farmers; issuance of NFA rice coupons; and investigation of rice cartels, hoarding and price manipulation.
The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Land Bank of the Philippines also allocated a certain amount of financial assistance to help our farmers.
General Reynaldo Berroya the administrator of the Light Railway Transit Authority and Hernando Cabrera, corporate secretary, informed Duterte on what happened in the LRT-2 Rectifier Substation Fire Incident.
"While repair and replacement of the component are ongoing, LRTA and DOTR will continue their bus augmentation from Santolan to Cubao. The Metro Manila Development Authority, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Inter-Agency Council for Traffic, and the Highway Patrol Group participated as well in the bus augmentation," said Panelo.
Last on the agenda, Año reported to the Cabinet that the DILG was successful in fulfilling the directive of the president in his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) to clear all public roads.
According to the DILG secretary, 75 provinces have submitted reports.
All 17 cities in NCR are commendably compliant. Regions I-X has complied and there had been 6,899 local roads cleared nationwide.
"Duterte presided a productive 42nd cabinet meeting," Panelo said. Robina Asido/DMS
