MORE EFFICIENT PROCUREMENT. Senator Sonny Angara in this undated photo. Angara on Friday (May 24, 2024) thanked the members of the 19th Congress for ratifying the New Government Procurement Act, which now awaits the signature of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for it to become a law. (PNA file photo)
MANILA – The New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) ratified by both the Senate and the House of Representatives on Wednesday is seen to enhance efficiencies, especially in government purchases, and prevent wastage in public transactions, Senator Sonny Angara said Friday.
Angara said Senate Bill 2593, which only needs President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s signature before becoming a law, would address existing loopholes in Republic Act (RA) 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act, the 21-year-old law that serves as the bureaucracy’s bible for all transactions involving public funds.
“Naniniwala tayo na malaki ang maitutulong ng New Government Procurement Act sa pagpapabilis ng ating public procurement processes, habang pinaiigting ang transparency at accountability nito. Pakay nito na gawing mas epektibo at katiwa-tiwala ang ating gobyerno (We believe that the New Government Procurement Act would greatly help speed up our public procurement processes, while strengthening transparency and accountability. It aims to make our government more effective and trustworthy),” he said in a statement.
He added that the new procurement law promotes greater transparency, competitiveness, efficiency, professionalism, accountability, and sustainability in the government procurement process.
Angara, the bill's principal author, explained that various consultations were conducted among all stakeholders, including the Executive branch, to come up with a law that would ultimately end up saving money for the government and result in the delivery of better services for the people.
It is also backed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council and the President himself.
The NGPA is also seen to clamp down on illegal practices in the procurement process by eliminating the opportunities for corruption.
Under the NGPA, the period of action on procurement activities is shortened from 90 days to 60 days, from the opening up of bids to the awarding of the contract.
The NGPA will also introduce video recording of procurement-related conferences; equal access to information at all levels of procurement for the procuring entities; the full disclosure, under oath, of any and all relationships between the bidders and all the personalities involved in the bidding process; and qualified observers will be present in all stages of procurement.
Consistent with the provisions of RA 11981 or the Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act, authored and sponsored by Angara, procuring entities should also give preference to Philippine products and services.
“Isa sa naging hangarin natin sa NGPA ay ang pagbibigay ng suporta sa ating mga lokal na industriya, kabilang na dito ang mga maliliit na negosyante na kadalasan ay hindi makalahok sa mga bidding ng gobyerno dahil sa kawalan ng track record. Ang partisipasyon sa ganitong klaseng proseso ay isang paraan para makapag-level up ang mga maliliit na players at mabigyan din ng suporta ang mga industriyang Pilipino at ng produkto at serbisyong Pilipino (One of our goals in the NGPA is to provide support to our local industries, including small businessmen who are unable to participate in government bidding due to lack of track record. Participating in this kind of process is a way for small players to level up and also to support Filipino industries and Filipino products and services),” Angara said. (PNA)
