Sunday, May 04, 2008

Ombudsman Suspends PhilSCA President Sampang

Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez placed under a six-month preventive suspension the President of the Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA) and five others for the alleged irregular bidding of an engine overhauling project in 2005.

In a 16-page Order, Ombudsman Gutierrez ordered the preventive suspension of Enrico Sampang, PhilSCA Pres.; Engr. Reynaldo Roca, Chairman of the PhilSCA Bids and Awards Committee (BAC); and Engrs. Jabel Abella, Erwin Abon and Cynthia Dayao and Dr. Felix Boyles, all BAC members.

Records show that on Sept. 1, 2005, Abon, Aircraft Maintenance Technologist II, assigned at the Flying School of PhilSCA, requested Sampang for the overhauling of one Tampico aircraft engine.

The Minutes of Meeting of the BAC dated Jan. 9, 2006 states that the BAC conducted two failed biddings on Dec. 14, 2005: on the first bidding, no bidders submitted documents to bid while on the second bidding, there was no bidder. Hence, the Committee approved that a ‘Negotiated Procurement’ be effected.

Dr. Sampang invited several bidders to submit quotations on the overhauling and repair of the said aircraft engine: Phil. Aerospace Dev. Corp. (PADC) submitted its P3,915,392.71 bid dated July 21, 2005; Aeroflite Aviation Corp., a P1,500,000 bid on Jan. 12, 2006 and Aviation Technology Innovators, Inc. (ATI), P1,475,000.

The BAC recommended the awarding of the project to ATI. The said Abstract of Canvass was signed by Boyles and approved by Sampang.

Sampang also sought another canvass from Air Ads Corporate Aviation, dated Feb. 13, 2006, but was received by the Acting Procurement Officer only on April 28, 2006, or two days after the PhilSCA and ATI signed the Contract of Service for the project.

Assistant Ombudsman Mark E. Jalandoni, of the OMB’s Field Investigation Office (OMB-FIO), said “as borne by the record, the bid of the PADC was dated five months earlier than the date of the first scheduled bidding on Dec. 14, 2005. It also appears that the submitted bid was not for engine overhauling, but for the supply of one engine for Piper aircraft and not for Tampico aircraft.”

He also said it is highly irregular that such bidding would be conducted twice in a single day and declared a failure to be able to conduct a negotiated procurement.

He also noted that the BAC deliberately inserted the name of Air Ads Corporate Aviation as one of the legitimate bidders in the Abstract of Canvass to give the false impression that there were actually four bidders.

In her Order, Ombudsman Gutierrez ordered that the respondents be placed under preventive suspension without pay for six months, “considering that the evidence of guilt is strong and the charges” against them “involve acts constituting dishonesty and grave misconduct”.

She ordered Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair Romulo Neri to immediately implement the Order. The respondents were directed to file their respective counter-affidavits within ten days from receipt of the Order. Their failure to do so shall be deemed a waiver and the proceeding shall continue according to existing rules. /MP

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