It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
MTD had known about BCDA's plans long before they won the contract and before anyone else was aware of the project. Thus the COA calls it an unsolicited proposal rather than competitive bidding.The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) gave private contractor MTD Capital Berhad (MTD) “undue advantage” in the P8.510 billion contract for the construction of the sports facilities used in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) which the country hosted, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
In its 2019 report released Thursday, COA noted that the construction of the sports facilities in New Clark City (NCC) that were used during the November 30 to December 11, 2019 SEA Games, was negotiated into an unsolicited proposal rather than going through competitive bidding.
“The Sports Facilities, planned/conceptualized by BCDA, was negotiated into an unsolicited proposal rather than going through competitive bidding following the process applicable for solicited projects gave MTD an undue advantage and negatively affects the competitiveness of the bidding,” state auditors said.
According to COA, “competitiveness was compromised because MTD had more time to study BCDA’s proposed project.”
“The Minutes of Board meetings show there have been discussions between BCDA and MTD about the sports facilities even before September 6, 2017, or more than two months before the issuance of the Certification of Successful Negotiation on November 10, 2017, while prospective bidders were only given 30 days to study the specifics of the project,” the commission added.
 |
| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/345898/garbage-silt-in-drainage-causing-floods-in-talisay-city |
Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas is looking to rent a machine that can vacuum garbage and silt from major drainage ways in the city.
This after the mayor, in a Facebook post shared on Thursday, October 15, 2020, said the Aksyon Agad Team found bulk of garbage and silt in the drainage in Barangay Linao that connects to the national highway.
(In Linao, the drainage is huge, a person can fit there. The problem is the garbage found in the drainage along the national highway. Because of silt and garbage, the canal will really be clogged. And because of the silt, the drainage way along the national highway becomes smaller.)
The mayor even said that the Aksyon Agad team once pulled out a bed mattress and some construction materials from the canal. Aside from that, there were also whole plastic bags full of garbage, an indication that residents have been throwing their garbage into the canals.
Because of these factors, water from villages around the area couldn’t flow freely, which then leads to flooding especially when there is a heavy downpour.
“We here in the city, we will look for band aid, short term [solution] and work with DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) for long-term solutions to this problem. I have asked people, even without all the development in the city, it has been a problem since 10-15 years ago. But we will face this problem head on,” said the mayor.
Residents in Barangay Banilad here are urging village and city officials to address the perennial flooding problem that has not been solved over the past years and which continually pose a threat to lives and properties.
Retired Brig. Gen. Rey Lyndon Lawas, in an interview Friday, said he talked to Banilad village chief Pacencio Maquiling, Jr. regarding the problem that has spanned several administrations already.
Lawas disclosed that in a meeting with the barangay council early this week attended by some complainant-residents, “we found out nga wala pa na brief ang mga barangay officials of any plans (the barangay officials have not been briefed yet on any plans) to address the problem.”
He said he was told the city has allocated a budget of PHP8 million for the flooding problem but there are no specifics yet.
It was agreed that the barangay shall invite concerned heads of government offices like the city planning, city engineer’s, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and others to present and brief the affected barangay residents of the plan at the soonest time possible.
“Just today, I requested to propose a barangay resolution requesting these concerned offices to present the plan before the affected residents to make it more official,” he said.
How is it that LGU's are so ineffective? How can flooding problems persist for years when constant construction is going on to fix the problem? That's how it is here anyway. Constant road consntant road construction and continual flooding. How can they have allocated 8 million pesos and not even have a plan? Where does all the money go?
Anti-narcotics agents seized P5.3 million worth of shabu from a former mayor, an incumbent barangay councilor and a 63-year-old woman who fell in separate operations Friday.The first to fall from the three stings laid by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency was Jaher Guiapal, arrested after selling P136,000 worth of shabu, or methamphetamine hydrochloride, to plainclothes PDEA operatives in the town proper of Buluan in Maguindanao.
Juvenal Azurin, director of PDEA-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Saturday Guiapal, an incumbent barangay official in Buluan, did not resist arrest when agents cuffed him after the tradeoff.
“He is a high value target. We are thankful to vigilant residents of Buluan and his relatives who helped us entrap him,” Azurin said.
PDEA-BARMM agents arrested eight hours later a 65-year-old woman, Sitti Omar Luman, after turning over P5.1 million worth of shabu to non-uniformed subordinates of Azurin along Notre Dame Avenue, a busy thoroughfare in Cotabato City.
Agents of PDEA in Region 10 also arrested on the same day Abdul Manamparan II, former mayor of Nunangan town in Lanao del Sur, for keeping P136,000 worth of shabu in his residence in Xavier Estates in Upper Balulang area in Cagayan de Oro City.
In a statement Saturday, the regional office of PDEA-10 said agents, assisted by the Cagayan de Oro City police office, found the shabu inside the former mayor’s house during a search following tips by informants in his hometown and neighbors in Upper Balulang.
The 37-year-old Manamparan, scion of a big political clan in Nunangan, is now in the custody of PDEA-10, detained in a heavily-guarded facility.
An incumbent barangay councilor who is a high value target and an ex-mayor who is the scion of a political clan were busted with thousands of pesos worth of drugs. Oddly enough it was the old woman who had P5 million worth of shabu!
Former Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHeath) chief Ricardo Morales filed on Friday a cyberlibel complaint against whistleblower Thorrsson Montes Keith, who earlier bared alleged systematic corruption and anomalies inside the state-run agency.
Morales, who personally went to Taguig's prosecutor's office, said Keith's allegations had grave effects on him and his family's wellbeing.
The former general, who left the agency amid corruption investigations because of his cancer battle, added they are still gathering more evidence to file other charges against Keith.
This is ridiculous. Is Morales going to file charges against the Presidential task force who filed charges against him with the Ombudsman? Or against Duterte who OKed the filing of charges?
Unidentified assailants shot dead a village chief in Cordon town while he was driving his car here on Saturday afternoon, police said.
Investigators identified the victim as Ricardo Mencias of Camarao village.
Mencias had just cruised past the Annafunan Bridge and was on his way to Pag-asa village here when the gunmen attacked him.
Police said the victim sustained a gunshot wound to his head that caused his instant death.
National Capital Region Police (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas renewed his warning against NCRPO personnel using vehicles that were recovered and inventoried as evidence in various police operations for personal use.
“Stop it now or face appropriate charges,” Sinas said after relieving a Quezon City Police District (QCPD) operative on Saturday for driving an alleged “hot car”.
Sinas ordered the immediate relief of M/Sgt. Danilo R Pacurib, 47, assigned at Police Station 13 of QCPD.
Reports show QCPD Highway Patrol Team (QCPD HPT) agents intercepted Pacurib for driving a black Hyundai car with improvised plates while on his way to work along Commonwealth Avenue on Oct. 16.
Upon verification with PNP-Highway Patrol Group, the vehicle was found to be “under alarm No. 2016-0621-035” after it was taken at gunpoint from its registered owner along Don Jose, Sta. Rosa, Laguna on June 22, 2016, prompting them to arrest Pacurib.
Pacurib was charged with violation of Republic Act 10883 (New Anti-Carnapping Law) and PD 1612 (Anti-Fencing Law) and subject to inquest proceedings.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has delayed and unimplemented projects amounting to P101.690 billion, the 2019 report of the Commission on Audit (COA) has shown.
According to COA, this is “contrary” to the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act as well as the agreed terms and conditions set for the project contracts.
COA said the “inadequate detailed engineering due to absence of proper coordination mechanism with LGUs (local government units) and other concerned agencies, and failure to establish the technical viability of the projects during the feasibility and preliminary engineering study, resulted in delayed completion and non-implementation of 2,411 [DPWH] projects totaling P101.690 billion.”
Billions worth of DPWH projects have not been implemented, have been terminated or suspended, or were not completed on time. The COA says this is due to improper coordination with LGUs among other things.
 |
| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/10/20/2050854/coa-flags-dot-p66-million-unnecessary-expenses |
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Department of Tourism (DOT) for P6.67 million worth of “unnecessary” and “extravagant” expenses that include hotel accommodations, rental of an exclusive resort, plane fares, gift checks and bonuses.
In its 2019 audit report on the DOT, the audit body said the agency’s Central Office (CO) and seven regional offices (ROs) have incurred “irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant and unconscionable expenditures,” as defined under COA Circular 2012-003.
“In the post audit of DOT CO and ROs financial transactions, disbursements totaling P6,678,878.07 were found not adhering to pertinent laws, rules and regulations or did not observe the appropriate standards, procedures and proper documentation to establish their propriety and validity,” the COA said.
The DOT’s CO was specifically called out for P3.579 million worth of gift checks supposedly distributed to “tourism private persons.” The audit body said the gift checks remain unliquidated as of the end of 2019.
“There was no evidence that the GCs were actually distributed to valid recipients with proper guidelines on the distribution. The recipients were considered invalid/illegal,” the COA said.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told The STAR yesterday that she has reminded the DOT offices to comply with accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
“Management has taken note of the findings and recommendations regarding the disbursements…and have reminded all offices in the department, including regional offices, to strictly comply with pertinent accounting and auditing rules and regulations,” she said.
“It is to be noted though that more than 50 percent of the subject expenditures were incurred before my stint as DOT secretary,” Puyat emphasized.
The Department of Tourism remains as corrupt as ever with millions in irregular and questionable expenses some without proper documentation. DOT Secretary Puyat was hired to clean up the place and is quick to let everyone know that more than 50% of those expenditures happened before her term. However she assumed office on May 11, 2018. Since this is an audit of 2019 her statement is rather questionable.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1350095/manila-cop-who-accidentally-killed-drug-suspect-inside-station-faces-raps |
The chief of the Manila Police District (MPD) has ordered the filing of a complaint against a policeman over the death of a drug suspect inside the Station Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) office of the Moriones Police Station in Tondo, Manila.
(I have already ordered the General Assignment and Investigation Section to conduct an investigation on the criminal and administrative culpability of Joel if there is any. I also directed the filing of a complaint against him at the city prosecutor’s office because of the death of John Doe, the suspect they arrested.)
Based on a police report from the Moriones Police Station, an unidentified man, aged around 35 years old, was arrested by Cpl. Joel Calagaran at Chacon Street in Tondo Sunday night for possession of illegal drugs. The suspect was then brought to the SDEU office where he allegedly pulled out an improvised caliber 22. firearm hidden inside his underwear and shot but missed Caligaran.
The police report further stated that this prompted Caligaran to grab the gun which suddenly went off. The policeman “accidentally” shot the suspect’s face. The suspect was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
(I also want investigators to look at administrative lapses because under operational procedures, police are required to frisk the suspect and to handcuff them from behind. That is my instruction. Suspects should not be handcuffed at the front.)
(I think there were lapses on the part of the police although in the criminal liability, I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that what they say really happened. But on the administrative lapses, on the operational procedure, I cannot understand why they did not thoroughly frisk the suspect and he was not handcuffed. Why was that the case?)
An arrested suspect pulled a gun from his waistband and it accidentally went off killing him when a PNP officer tried to take it. There have been no criminal charges filed but only a formal complaint against the officer. The MPD Chief thinks there were lapses in protocol which lead to the incident.
 |
| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/20/20/barangay-chairman-patay-sa-pananaga-umano-ng-kagawad-sa-bataan |
A dispute between a barangay chairman and a barangay councilor in Brgy. Ibis, Bagac, Bataan this Monday.
According to a barangay official, Reynaldo Nuguid, barangay chairman Danny Panganiban responded to a motorcycle incident when the suspect, Eduardo Panganiban, suddenly appeared and stabbed the victim.
The victim was rushed to the hospital but was also killed due to the severity of the knife wound to his head.
It is said that the two barangay officials have been at loggerheads for a long time to have more cousins. The councilor is upset, according to relatives because of politics.
They said that he could not beat the chairmain during the election which caused the suspect to feel bad.
The member who is already in the custody of the Bagac PNP has been arrested.
A murder case will be filed against him.
Two former officials of the then Department of Education, Culture and Sports have been sentenced by the Sandiganbayan to up to 10 years imprisonment for their part in a fraudulent transaction involving textbooks in 1998 worth PHP24 million.
In a decision dated Oct. 16, the anti-graft court found former Education officials Emilia de la Aranas and Ernesto Guiang guilty for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act
De la Aranas was the agency's Region 8 chief accountant while Guiang was the budget and finance division chief. Publishing company agent Mary Ann Maslog, one of the accused, died last year, the court noted.
The Ombudsman charged Maslog, Aranas and Guiang liable for processing and paying out two falsified Department of Budget and Management Sub-Allotment Release Order (SARO) for PHP10 million on February 3, 1998 and for PHP14 million on June 22, 1998 to Esteem Enterprises which Maslog represented.
In 1999, Maslog figured in news reports after she delivered a box containing PHP3 million in cash to the DBM in Manila, prompting then Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno to ask the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate Maslog for the bribe try.
Maslog claimed she mistakenly brought the wrong box to the DBM and said that she was supposed to bring a box of ceramic mugs as Christmas giveaways.
How does one mistakenly bring a box containing P3 million? Are those kind of boxes just lying around? Funny that this happened back in 1998 and now 22 years later a verdict has been handed down. That's justice in the Philippines for you.
 |
| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1874015/Cebu/Local-News/OBO-finds-60-structures-obstructing-waterways |
BUILDING inspectors have initially found 60 structures that are obstructing waterways in Cebu City.Most are residential and commercial buildings along Colon St. and Gen. Maxilom (Mango) Ave., Office of the Building Official (OBO) head Florante Catalan said on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020.He said the structures were identified in a report that he will present to Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella on Tuesday, Oct. 20.City officials have blamed the massive flooding in Cebu City on Oct. 13 on the obstructions in the waterways and the huge volume of garbage that clogged drainage systems, rivers and creeks.
Catalan said the structures must be removed because these violate the National Building Code and the three-meter easement rule under the Civil Code of the Philippines and the Water Code of the Philippines.
Earlier, Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo said he will clarify with the DPWH whether permits were issued for the construction of these structures.
Either permits were issued or they weren't. Both scenarios are very troubling and speak of more corruption within the local government.
 |
| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1874047/Cebu/Local-News/Cop-kills-girlfriend-self |
A POLICE official shot dead his 31-year-old girlfriend before turning the gun on himself inside the police community precinct in Barangay Bulacao, Talisay City on Tuesday morning, Oct. 20, 2020.Police Lt. Praxilo Alviso, 50, deputy commander of Talisay City's Bulacao precinct, reportedly shot his girlfriend, Vernice Cardeno, inside his office at around 10 a.m.After shooting Cardeno, Alviso then turned his service firearm on himself.
Cop kills his girlfriend and himself.
 |
| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/21/20/court-junks-drug-case-after-cctv-footage-show-pdea-agents-faked-drug-bust |
PDEA agents claimed a certain Richard Torres and 4 other companions were arrested in Torres’ house on June 28 this year, supposedly as a result of a drug buybust operation.
A poseur-buyer and confidential informant claimed 3 of the accused — Gabriel Aranas, Gwendell Ozoa and Katrina Tish Dabao — were holding a pot session while Torres and his alleged supplier Shinette Sarabia sold a small plastic sachet of shabu to the poseur-buyer.
But the accused presented CCTV footage from cameras operated by the city government which showed that Torres, Dabao, Ozoa and Aranas were “picked up” by PDEA agents one after the other near a traveller’s lodge and were “forced to go inside” a blue AUV.
PDEA agents used the same AUV, whose registration was traced to the agency, to pick up Sarabia in front of a restaurant.
They were all later brought to Torres’ house where they were supposedly arrested.
CCTV footage showed the whereabouts of the blue AUV — at least 5 locations — complete with timestamp, which convinced the court that “the accused in these cases were arrested in places other than where the supposed buy-bust operation took place and at a much earlier time than that declared by PDEA agents.”
Although the CCTV footage only showed “outlines and figures of people without facial details,” the court said the narrations of the 5 accused and the clothes they wore on that day corrobated the images on the CCTV footage which the court examined several times.
Contempt of court for framing 5 men? They derives to be sacked and spend some time in prison. The PDEA says they will also be conducting their own investigation of the matter.Instead, Judge Amelia Lourdes Mendoza of Negros Oriental Regional Trial Court Br. 34 initiated indirect contempt charges against the 5 PDEA agents involved “for misleading the court, for making untruthful statements in their affidavits, and for directly impeding and degrading the administration of justice.”
PDEA agents Nelson Muchuelas, May Ann Carmelo, Jose Anthony Juanites, Cheryl Mae Villaver and Realyn Pinpin are required to attend indirect contempt proceedings on November 13, along with 2 witnesses — a barangay official and a media representative.
 |
| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/760717/camarines-sur-rtc-judge-aide-wounded-in-shooting-incident/story/ |
Attempted assassination of a judge.A trial court judge and her aide were injured after unidentified men fired at their vehicle in Camarines Sur on Tuesday afternoon.
According to a report from the Police Regional Office 5, the victims were identified as Regional Trial Court Branch 56 Judge Jeaneth Gaminde San Joaquin and her aide Rocelle Martinez.
San Joaquin sustained injuries caused by shattered pieces of glass, while Martinez sustained gunshot wounds. They were immediately rushed to Libmanan District Hospital for medical treatment.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1350493/cavite-town-vice-mayor-8-others-nabbed-for-illegal-possession-of-firearms |
The Vice Mayor of Amadeo in Cavite province has been arrested for illegal possession of firearms. Turns out he is also the leader of a private armed group which provides guns-for-hire among other things.The vice mayor of Amadeo town in Cavite province and eight other individuals were arrested early morning Tuesday for illegal possession of firearms, police said.
Armed with 15 search warrants for the crime, law enforcers seized Amadeo Vice Mayor Conrado Alegre Viado and eight others, as well as four M-14 rifles; three M-16 rifles; one shotgun; one .30 caliber carbine; seven caliber .45 pistols; one unit of caliber .22 pistol; one caliber .380 pistol; one caliber .38 revolver; three pieces of M203 ammo; two rifle scopes; 20 magazines for M-14; 16 magazines for caliber .45 pistol; and several rounds of ammunition.
According to police, the operation against what it described as a private armed group named Asiong Group was prompted by the issuance of the warrants.
The group, allegedly led by Viado, was said to be involved in gun-for-hire activities, land grabbing, extortion, and gun-running activities.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1350557/coa-flags-184-dpwh-projects-exceeding-approved-budget |
More financial irregularities from one of the most corrupt bureaucracies in the Philippine government.State auditors found that the projects’ costs went over the approved budget for the contracts, which the COA used as reference values for determining the allowable cost.
“Contract cost of 184 projects implemented by different DPWH offices were found excessive by the COA technical audit specialists for a total of P431,933,006.20 due to contract costs that exceeded the COA allowable cost,” the state audit agency said in a 2019 report on the DPWH.
 |
| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/21/20/army-reservist-patay-sa-pamamaril-sa-caloocan |
A 70-year-old man died after being shot by unidentified assailants at his store in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City on Tuesday, according to police.
Authorities identified the victim as Alfredo Orpeza, who is also a reservist of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The riding-in-tandem suddenly stopped in front of Orpeza's store then the gunman shot him, based on the investigation.
Two police officers are facing criminal and administrative complaints following the escape of 13 detainees from the Caloocan City police detention facility on Thursday morning, police said.
(They have evasion through negligence, we will file the cases. They will be facing a criminal charge. After we file that criminal charge, they will face administrative charge.)
“Dalawa yung nakabantay kagabi (Two people were guarding the detainees last night.),” he added.
Earlier, 13 detainees escaped the Custodial Facility Unit Extension of Caloocan City Hall through a hole that they made on the wall of the facility.
In an initial probe, Menor said other detainees caught the escapees using concrete nails to make a hole on the layers of the cell wall.
(In the course of the investigation, there are concrete nails because the facility was once a storeroom. They capitalized on concrete nails which they used to break the layers of concrete.)
Two of thirteen persons deprived of liberty who escaped from a temporary detention facility in Caloocan City had tested positive for the coronavirus, the chief of Caloocan City Police said Thursday.
"The facility used to be a warehouse, and they were able to get something nailed to the wall. That's what they used to break through the wall...the past few days have been rainy, and we don't let our policemen go inside the jail [since] some of them (the PDLs) tested positive," he said in Filipino.
 |
| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1119278 |
A former barangay chairperson in the South Cotabato town of Polomolok was killed in an anti-drug operation on Tuesday afternoon, an official said.Lt. Col. Alex Joe Orcajada, chief of Polomolok municipal police station, said Wednesday that suspect Diosdado Empleo Cruz, former chairman of Barangay Rubber, was killed after resisting arrest during an entrapment operation in Barangay Magsaysay past 5 p.m.An undercover police officer was able to transact and purchase a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP500 from the suspect, Orcajada said, adding that Cruz tried to escape and drew a handgun after noticing the presence of the other operatives.
 |
| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1119305 |
A former village councilor was killed by police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives during a buy-bust operation that ended in a shootout Tuesday afternoon in Barangay Aplaya here.Lt. Col. Vici Anthony Tababa, Digos City acting police chief, identified the slain suspect Wednesday as Roy Miro Calingacion, 40, a regional level "high-value target" for illegal drugs.Tababa said Calingacion was an incumbent councilor in Barangay Dulangan here when he was arrested for drug trafficking in 2011. He was released from jail last year.
 |
| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1119367 |
Two former LGU executives found guilty of accepting bries to give permits to establish cell towers. This happened in 2013.The Sandiganbayan has meted imprisonment and fines to two local officials in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija for demanding and accepting PHP300,000 from a local firm in consideration for the immediate passage of a resolution authorizing the construction of cell sites in the city in 2013.
In a 63-page decision dated October 20 and released on Thursday, Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez of the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division has sentenced Cabanatuan Sangguniang Panglungsod (City Council) member Angelito Saclolo Jr. and council secretary Alfredo G. Ortaleza up to eight years in prison and a fine of PHP900,000 for direct bribery and solicitation.
“The prosecution established beyond reasonable doubt that the accused Saclolo and Ortaleza solicited PHP440,000 and after negotiations to reduce the amount, accepted PHP300,000 in the course of their official duties from Richworld Aire and Technologies Corp.,” the court said.
At that time, the firm was securing a locational clearance from the city for cell site towers to be put up at Bakero and Sapang villages.
The complainants said the amount was requested during a meeting in a local restaurant by the accused as an “SOP” or “unofficial amount” paid to local officials to accommodate applications and to issue a resolution.
Saclolo was then the city council’s concurrent chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Communications.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1351003/coa-idle-p487-m-air-traffic-control-center-going-to-waste |
State auditors have warned of public funds going to waste if the Department of Transportation (DOTr) does not use soon the completed Manila Area Control Center (MACC) in Pasay City, which was built at a cost of P487 million.
The MACC was meant to replace the Eurocrat 200, the air control center of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).
In a 2019 audit report on the DOTr, the Commission on Audit (COA) cited the MACC project’s Phase 1 and Phase 2, which had remained idle for nine years since their completion. The two were among the department’s seven projects that had been either completed or terminated.
The first phase of the project began in September 2009 and was finished in February 2010 at a cost of P297,151,010, while the second phase started in June 2010 and was finished in November that year at a cost of P190,592.730.
“The new MACC project Phases 1 and 2 with total payments amounting to P487,743,740, which were substantially completed in CY 2010, had remained idle and not utilized since its completion,” the COA said.
These were “allegedly below the standards required by international civil aviation, hence were never accepted and commissioned by the Caap as end-user,” the audit agency said.
The DOTr commissioned the new Communications Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management Systems Development Project in October 2017, which the Caap was now using as replacement of the new MACC, “making it outdated and technologically obsolete,” according to the COA report.
COA auditors also noted that the DOTr was looking for other government agencies that can use the new MACC, such as the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Coast Guard. “No further information was provided on the realization of the plan, thus the projects remain idle and unused to date,” they said.
