Palace: Puno is not a member of BAC

MALACANANG clarified Tuesday that Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno is not a member of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) that had deliberated on the procurement of alleged overpriced assault rifles.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the BAC is an independent committee in every government department and Puno could not be part of it since he is part of the procuring entity.

"Undersecretary is not part of the composition of the Bids and Awards Committee," Valte said of Puno, who resigned from his post on Tuesday amid allegations of involvement in an alleged anomalous firearms deal.

"The BAC, to my knowledge, is an independent committee in every department. Every department has that. Depende po -- kung sino po 'yung umuupong chairman and vice chairman and also the regular members, that is also mandated by law," she added.

Puno has been under public scrutiny following media reports of his alleged involvement in the botched purchase of assault rifles for the Philippine National Police, which was supposedly the subject of investigation of the late Secretary Jesse Robredo before he died in a plane crash on August 18.

President Benigno Aquino III himself ordered the cancellation of the project upon learning that the rifles were overpriced.

Valte said neither Robredo could sit as member of the BAC since he was the head of the procuring entity.

The BAC is tasked to administer the bidding and award function of every project of agencies in government. It specifically determines the eligibility of prospective bidders, conduct preliminary examination of bids, evaluate bids, qualify the lowest calculated bid and recommend award of contracts.

Valte said the bidding process of the BAC is being investigated but no specific person is currently involved in the probe.

The PNP-BAC has five regular members who are all PNP officials. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)