Printing of souvenir program for Binirayan 2009: Canceled or finished?
Binirayan Foundation Inc. (BFI) has a lot of explaining to do relative to the printing of the souvenir program for Binirayan Festival 2009 in the province of Antique.
Graphic Etc. Printhaus in San Jose, Antique is in possession of the Purchase Order (P.O.) for the printing of the Binirayan 2009 Souvenir Program but BFI reportedly canceled the job for dubious reasons.
The bidding for the printing of souvenir program was posted on the PhilGEPS (Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System) reason why Graphic Etc. Printhaus submitted all the requirements to be able to join the bidding.
In the morning of August 20, 2009, hours before the bidding was held, a staff of the BFI named Mayette told the personnel of Graphic Etc. Printhaus that they should have not participated in the bidding since the job was already finished and was already given to Panorama Printing. The BFI staff said that the bidding was conducted just to complete the process for the funds to be released.
Graphic Etc. however insisted on joining the bidding since it was posted on the PhilGEPS website and they have already spent for attorney’s fees, bidder’s bond and security bond reaching to a total of about P20,000 which were all accepted by the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC).
After the conduct of the bidding Graphic Etc. Printhaus posted a bid price of P198,000 while Panorama Printing Company, based in Iloilo City, posted a bid price of P298,000 or a huge difference of P100,000.
Being the lowest bidder, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) awarded the printing of 500 pieces of Binirayan 2009 souvenir program to Graphic Etc. Printhaus. The P.O. was issued to Graphic Etc. Printhaus on October 8, 2009.
When personnel from Graphic Etc. Printhaus tried to follow up with the BFI the materials for the souvenir program they said that they do not have the layout for printing.
BFI executive director Alex De los Santos, in an interview with The News Today, said they have decided to cancel the printing job.
He said Panorama Printing is their choice since it has always been their partner in promoting the Binirayan Festival and they still have other payables to be settled with the said printing firm other than the souvenir program.
Delos Santos also explained that they went through the process of bidding because the fund that would be used for the printing of the souvenir program will be taken from the P1 million donation coming from Cebu that was placed under the provincial government’s trust fund.
The management of Graphic Etc. Printhaus warned that they will take legal actions against the BFI and the provincial government of Antique if they will not be able to resolve the problem.
“De los Santos’s statement that the job was canceled was in conflict with what was said by his staff that the job was already finished. Which is which?” the Graphic Etc. management said.
“If it is true that the printing job was already finished then they have a lot of explaining to do. They posted the bidding on the PhilGEPS website, they actually conducted the bidding, they even issued the Purchase Order to the winning bidder, then suddenly they will just say that the job is cancelled?” the Graphic Etc. management added.
The printing firm also questioned why the budget for the souvenir program would be taken from the coffers of the provincial government when the BFI is a private organization running the Binirayan Festival.
“Clearly there is irregularity here, and we will not take this sitting down. We are contemplating of filing administrative cases in the Ombudsman against provincial officials involved and possible charges in court against the BFI,” added the Graphic Etc. management.
