Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama replaced some members of the Bids and Awards Committee for Infrastructure.
In an order late last week, Mayor Rama removed BAC for Infrastructure chairman Jose Marie Poblete, the city engineer, and members Dr. Daisy Villa, city health officer, former councilor Joey Daluz and lawyer Ferdinand Cañete.
The new BAC Infra members are city legal officer Jerone Castillo, city planning and development officer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez, Joel Reston of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) and city administrator Dr. Lucelle Mercado.
The retained members are lawyer Dominic Dino, the mayor’s chief of staff, and city budget officer Marietta Gumia.
“We had our first meeting last Friday wherein we voted who will be the chairperson and vice chairperson of the BAC. Atty. Castillo was voted chairman while Engr. Reston is vice chairman,” said Mercado.
Daluz has been reassigned as head of the BAC’s Technical Working Group (TWG) while Cañete is now member of the BAC Secretariat.
CCMC row
The BAC for infrastructure was embroiled in controversy last year during the post-qualification of the lowest bidder for the construction of a new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) building.
Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos, who was a provisional BAC Infra member for the CCMC project, was vocal in her stand to disqualify the consortium of WTG Construction and A.M. Oreta and Co. over discrepancies in their bidding papers.
Poblete, Villa and Cañete voted with Delos Santos for the disqualification of the lowest bidder. On the other hand, Daluz, Gumia and Dino voted to qualify the joint venture.
But Mayor Rama wasn’t pleased with the announcement which he said was “premature” since the BAC’s decision hadn’t reached him yet and that there were still protest mechanisms that the contractor can take.
The mayor declared a failure of bidding of the project even if the BAC was still in the middle of post-qualifying the second-lowest bidder of the project.
It’s not yet sure if Councilor Delos Santos, a member of Team Rama can still get a seat in the BAC Infra for the CCMC project as Rama said he will be reviewing the composition of the CCMC ad hoc committee which Delos Santos chaired last year.
Move legal
Sought for comment on the reorganization, the councilor said it is the mayor’s prerogative to do so.
This was echoed by Poblete who said there is legal basis for the mayor to do so based on Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
“Let’s just not put color to it. It’s under the law that appointment of members is valid for a year,” he said.
“Unless sooner removed for a cause, the members of the BAC shall have a fixed term of one (1) year reckoned from the date of appointment, renewable at the discretion of the Head of the Procuring Entity,” reads Section 11 of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9184.
Mercado said the new BAC members will be meeting again tomorrow (Tuesday) for the turnover of the listing of infrastructure projects of the city as well as discuss it.