Following the questioning of a Senate lawmaker on the legitimacy of a bidder for the body-worn cameras procured by the Philippine Ports Authority, its general manager, Atty. Jay Santiago insisted that the contractor for the said project is a legitimate and qualified government supplier that passed a thorough procurement process pursuant to Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act, and complied with the binding, technical, and financial documents as a company.

Senator Raffy Tulfo, during the Senate Committee on Finance's deliberations on the proposed P197 billion budget of the Department of Transportation and its attached agencies for 2026 on Thursday, questioned the procurement of 191 body-worn cameras by the PPA in 2020, amounting to P168 million, or approximately P879,000 each.

Santiago, in a statement on Friday, explained that aside from the required documents and requirements, the law does not stipulate the specific appearance or location of a bidder’s company or business office.

“What we look at, and we are very strict about this, is whether the bidder or supplier has a valid PhilGEPS registration or Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System accreditation. When it comes to their financial capability, our procurement law has a clear formula on how it is computed,” said GM Santiago.

Avoiding conflict of interest

Santiago added that the law does not allow for any inspection or direct verification of the offices of bidders before bidding to avoid conflict of interest or undue advantage.

“Under the law, any contact with suppliers before bidding is prohibited. The agency will only know who the bidders are after they submit their bids. Any office visit or verification can only be done as part of the post-qualification once the Lowest Calculated Bid has been determined,” explained GM Santiago.

Based on the PPA Bids and Awards Committee, Boston Home Inc. has gone through a thorough evaluation and post-qualification before being declared a Single Calculated and Responsive Bidder through open, transparent, and competitive bidding.

Santiago said the company submitted complete documents, including valid business permits and registrations, mayor’s permit and Bureau of Internal Revenue registration, PhilGEPS Platinum Certificate of Registration, audited financial statements, tax clearance, and a list of completed contracts.

Further, he said the BAC also clarified that a physical inspection of the Boston Home Inc. office was not conducted because the post-qualification was done during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, in accordance with existing health and safety protocols.

“Instead, the original documents were submitted and reviewed at the PPA Head Office to verify the legitimacy of the company. As part of the post-qualification, the BAC also reviewed the Consolidated Blacklisting Report of the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) to ensure that the company is not included on the list of blacklisted entities,” the PPA official disclosed.

Moreover, he said the GPPB does not issue certification, but the inclusion or absence of a company in the said list can be verified on the official GPPB website, pursuant to Section 34.3(b) of the IRR of RA 9184.

Used by various PMOs

The PPA previously clarified that the more than P168-million contract is not only for 164 body-worn cameras, but for a complete surveillance and digital evidence management system to be implemented in 22 Port Management Offices nationwide.

The project scope includes body-worn cameras with live streaming and facial recognition, an evidence management system with encryption and access control, central servers, data storage, and docking stations, satellite communication and fiber connectivity, system integration and nationwide installation, training of user personnel, and after-sales support and warranty.

On the other hand, the PPA ensures that the company has a proven track record in government projects, in which it previously completed a P217-million surveillance system project for the Philippine Coast Guard and received a Notice of Award from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in 2024, both through public bidding.

“In the nine years that we have been managing the PPA, I have been very overprotective of the agency and our staff, especially in the procurement process. This is very critical, and we do not want any accusation that we are violating the law or process. We are open to any review, and you will see that in this process, you will not find any anomalies,” said GM Santiago.

Senator Tulfo ordered DoTR Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez to probe the controversy, which the DoTr official obliged.