JVR sued for bypassing bid requirement in security deal

A resident of Talisay City has filed a complaint against Mayor Johnny de los Reyes and two city officials for allegedly signing a security services contract without public bidding.

In a complaint filed in the Ombudsman-Visayas, Vicente Cabrera Jr. accused the mayor, his son City Administrator John Yre delos Reyes and three others of entering into a service contract with Black Pearl Security Agency (BSA).

BSA is the same agency hogging the limelight after its security service contract with the Cebu provincial government was also terminated by Gov. Hilario Davide III.

Cabrera obtained a document certifying that Talisay City Council did not pass a resolution authorizing Delos Reyes to sign a service contract with BSA. Also named respondents were: City Treasurer Emma Macuto and Budget Officer Edgar Mabunay. BSA president Baltaire Balangauan was also impleaded in the complaint.

Cabrera alleged that delos Reyes and the officials violated the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Government Procurement Reform Act.

De los Reyes denied the allegation, saying there was public bidding for the contract. He said the bid was conducted in March or eight months since City Hall hired the services of 91 security guards as job order employees.

He said the bidding was stalled because BSA had no license to operate at the time the city government signed the service contract. De los Reyes said BSA also offered to train the city’s residents who want to be employed as security guards. BSA won the bidding last March 2014. De los Reyes believed his political rival, the Gullases, urged Cabrera to file a complaint against him.

Job order employees

“Before, security guards of the Talisay City government came from Lancer Security Agency which belongs to the Gullas family),” he said.

Lancer Security Agency is owned by Gerald Anthony “Didi” Gullas Sr., son of former Rep. Eduardo Gullas who lost to de los Reyes in last year’s elections.

In its annual audit report, the Commission on Audit recently questioned the Talisay City’s government in hiring BSA security guards as job order employees.

COA said each of the 91 security guards of BSA each receives P430 a day while other job order workers get P300 a day.

BSA’s services was recently terminated by the Cebu provincial government. Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III canceled BSA’s services after one of its guards on duty accidentally fired his gun and hit a habal-habal driver in a province-owned lot in barangay Apas, Cebu City.

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