Friday, August 15, 2008 COA, DBM to clarify waste bid mess By Rimaliza Opiña
REPRESENTATIVES from the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will attend City Council's special session on Tuesday to clarify legal issues on the hiring of a private hauler without a bid.
The decision was reached following the Council's deferment of the mayor's request for the allocation of P30.3 million as payment for Metro Waste, the private hauler contracted to collect garbage of the city to Capas, Tarlac.
Acting Baguio Vice-Mayor Rocky Thomas Balisong said the city cannot allot and authorize payment for Metro Waste without basis. "The contract would have been the basis for payment but there is none," Balisong said.
Aside from allotting funds for the site development of a residual containment area and lease of an alternative dump area, the Council also allotted P10 million as payment for continued hauling, provided, a contract and other documents are provided first.
Balisong said payment covers services rendered for the period August 1 onwards while payment prior to August 1 will have to be discussed with the COA and DBM.
Metro Waste started hauling since July 23.
Balisong meanwhile answered Baguio Mayor Reinaldo Bautista's claim that his spur-of-the-moment decision without obtaining concurrence of the Council was because of the continuous suspension of its sessions.
But Balisong said this does not justify the mayor's decision.
He said even in emergency situations, the law provides simpler bid rules. He said the mayor was aware that on July 21, the Council held a special session aimed at addressing the then looming garbage crisis.
The mayor should have taken advantage of this development and called them to a meeting, but none was called, until they learned garbage was already being brought to Capas, Balisong added.
He said while they agree garbage has to be collected to avoid an epidemic, there are government procedures which could not be sidelined.
Balisong said the Council wants to avoid what happened to officials of Pasay City, who were suspended for six months without pay by the Ombudsman in 2006 for not following procedures on procurement.
Pasay Mayor Wenceslao Trinidad, Vice Mayor Antonio Calixto and 10 councilors were then charged for grave misconduct.
Information from the website of the Office of the Ombudsman reported Trinidad, Calixto and the 10 councilors were suspended for circumventing the laws on public bidding in the awarding of service contracts for garbage collection and disposal in the city.
