Pipol Konek loose ends
UNDP then said it referred all allegations to its independent Office of Audit and Investigation but up to now it has not issued a report on the body’s findings.
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Daily TribuneUNDP then said it referred all allegations to its independent Office of Audit and Investigation but up to now it has not issued a report on the body’s findings.
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The Department of Information and Communications Technology has reactivated the controversial Free Public Internet Access Program, or FPIAP, which was saddled with anomalies during the term of Undersecretary Eliseo del Rio, without a word about how the previous Pipol Konek controversy was resolved.
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has recommended the filing of criminal charges against Rio over the irregularities in the project that were exposed in a Commission on Audit report.
According to the House panel, the DICT committed misfeasance when it transferred the management of and the funds for the Pipol Konek project, which was part of the government’s free internet program, to the United Nations Development Program or UNDP.
The Pipol Konek Project fell short of the 6,000 sites targeted for free Wifi internet access during the period agreed upon and even after the deadlines were extended to sometime in 2022.
The panel listed the causes of the project delay, including the lack of planning coupled with ineffective coordination with local government units, private suppliers, and service providers; challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic; and problems encountered during the validation of target sites.
DICT transferred P1.259 billion to the UN agency which, according to the Commission on Audit, was unnecessary.
State auditors said the financing agreement cast doubt on the regularity of the transaction and termed it a “donation” by DICT to UNDP the way the financing agreement was handled.
“Moreover, the payment of more than P64.861 million as service fees to UNDP is deemed not cost-effective and could have been avoided had the DICT directly implemented the project,” the CoA said.
The necessity of the project was beyond debate as the government embarked on the digitalization of the entire nation to serve Filipinos who did not have internet access.
While Republic Act 10929, or the Free Internet Access Law, allowed partnerships with other sectors, the law did not contemplate the donation of funds as differentiated from a transfer of funds subject to liquidation, according to the CoA.
“The procurement of project components for the Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places Project totaling P1.5 billion was originally planned to be through a public bidding,” the CoA said.
The UNDP only returned P283.99 million, or a mere 15 percent, of the amount transferred to it by the DICT, after the UN agency terminated its contract with Speedcast, the contractor it picked for Pipol Konek.
Shipments of telecommunications equipment imported by Speedcast were found to be irregular, based on a report by government-owned Philippine Communications Satellite Corp., which was a private partner in the project.
“While no evidence was produced, UNDP contacted Speedcast to take immediate action and solicited Philcomsat to clarify the matter with Speedcast. UNDP also requested Speedcast to self-report to the Bureau of Customs to comply with national laws,” the UNDP said.
UNDP then said it referred all allegations to its independent Office of Audit and Investigation but up to now it has not issued a report on the body’s findings.
Last 15 February, the Department of Budget and Management approved the release of almost P2.5 billion to revive the free internet project.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman approved a Special Allotment Release Order, or SARO, amounting to almost P2.5 billion on 5 February.
A closure of the previous Pipol Konek project through a full disclosure by the DICT, including making public its contractors for the FPIAP, is only proper after the crooked implementation of Pipol Konek.
