House appropriations panel chairperson Zaldy Co of Ako-Bicol party-list on Wednesday known as on authorities companies to disburse their infrastructure funds forward of the spending ban as a result of barangay and youth council polls in October.
“I remind the departments and other agencies with infrastructure funds to obligate and spend those funds this year, and any infrastructure funds obligated last year but yet [to be] spent should also be spent in 2023,” Co stated in a press release.
“This is to make sure they avoid the election spending ban that comes with the barangay and SK elections in October this year and the rainy season that comes from July to September, while also following the government procurement law and regulations,” he added.
The building of public works and the discharge of funds for a similar are prohibited by the Omnibus Election Code 45 days earlier than an everyday election and 30 days earlier than a particular election, except for upkeep of present or accomplished tasks and emergency work necessitated by the prevalence of a public calamity, amongst others.
Co stated that through the funds deliberations final yr, House members already famous the billions price of presidency tasks and packages which have been delayed for varied causes.
“We should have much fewer delays and non-implementations this year,” he stated.
“By the time the 2024 budget hearings get underway in August, we expect accomplishment reports, not apologies and excuses,” he added.
At an earlier listening to on the proposed payments reforming the Government Procurement Law, Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Technical Support Office Executive Director Rowena Candice Ruiz stated that almost all of delays in bidding out authorities tasks occur on the invitation to bid stage because of a scarcity of planning.
“Sixty-three percent of failure in procurement is in the invitation to bid stage. The [government] agency posts the invitation to bid, tapos binabawi [then they take it back]. It shows they are not ready,” Ruiz stated, referring to the 2020 knowledge she supplied.
“It is due to lack of planning on technical specifications, wrong costing, and wrong submission for a request. Planning tayo nagkakaproblema (The problem starts in the planning stage),” she added. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
