Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 22) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. supports the creation of an e-marketplace where government entities may directly procure products, similar to online shopping platforms, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Tuesday.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman told reporters that this was one of the initiatives which the DBM discussed with the president as they tackled proposed changes to the two-decade-old Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA).
“Gusto po niya talaga ma-develop and ma-institutionalize ‘yung parang marketplace po natin, ‘yung e-government platform natin,” she said in a Palace briefing, referring to the president.
[Translation: The president really wants to develop and institutionalize this marketplace, this e-government platform.]
Procurement Service – DBM Executive Director Dennis Santiago explained that the idea is to help get rid of the long process of bidding for certain products, as entities can buy straight from the virtual market.
“We will have a mechanism to qualify kung ano po ‘yung tamang produkto at sino po ‘yung mga tamang suppliers [to qualify which are the right products and suppliers],” Santiago said.
“Kailangan (sa) platform na ‘to, maaayos na produkto ang mabibili, may kalidad, available, angkop po sa pangangailangan ng gobyerno,” he added.
[Translation: On this platform, the products featured should be of good quality, available, and fitting to the needs of the government.]
During his second State of the Nation Address last month, Marcos said he wanted a new law that would make government procurement “more attuned to these changing times.”
Pangandaman said that during their meeting on Tuesday, Marcos generally expressed approval of the DBM’s proposed amendments to the GPRA.
“Our president agreed on our amendments except for, may mga ilang items lang po [a few items],” she said without elaborating.
The budget secretary added that they were directed to present to both houses of Congress a consolidated version of the recommended changes — something she estimates will take around two weeks to complete.
Meanwhile, Santiago noted that the president has also agreed to simplify the process of checking the eligibility of bidders. He said they propose doing away with a number of documentary requirements and to require bidders to submit just one document.
“This time around, the president agreed with a single document. This is the PhilGEPS — the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System — certificate of registration and membership,” he said.
