A lawyer urged Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Tuesday to oversee the upcoming bidding process at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for substantial projects worth billions of pesos.

In an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE, Attorney Faye Singson said that she also appealed to Laurel to immediately investigate the foregoing concerns and take appropriate measures to ensure a fair and impartial bidding process scheduled on 10 and 11 October.

The projects under Bid Reference 2024-62 and 2024-63 involve the acquisition of multi-mission offshore vessels, refrigerated cargo vessels, and steel-hulled fishing vessels and the total project budget exceeds P2.1 billion.

Singson, former assistant prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman, said BFAR acting head Isidro M. Velayo Jr. chaired the bids and awards committee meeting on 11 and 12 September 2024, which resulted in the issuance of supplemental bid bulletin 2 dated 12 September 2024.

'This issue calls for the cancellation and nullification of the entire bidding process, and even the filing of administrative complaints.'

She claimed that the contents of the bulletin were the product of Velayo’s orders, adding that the BFAR acting chief — as head of the procuring entity — should not interfere with the actions of the BAC, considering that he will be the party approving the BAC’s recommendations.

Despite the significant value of these projects, the bidding process is being rigged in favor of a select few companies, Singson said. The bidding requirements and specifications have been manipulated to favor these companies, leaving no room for other legitimate bidders to compete.

The recordings of the BAC meetings on 11 and 12 September 2024 will prove this irregularity allegedly committed by Velayo, she added.

Singson said Velayo also held private group and individual meetings with the members of the technical working group and BAC to impose the changes he wanted in the technical specifications of the bidding, obviously to allow a certain bidder to win the project.

“The integrity of public funds is important,” according to the lawyer.

“This issue calls for the cancellation and nullification of the entire bidding process, and even the filing of administrative complaints. Since his assumption as OIC, he has been interested in the outcome as to whom the award will be made,” Singson said.