(Eagle News) — The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday, July 5, said some of the assets that were supposed to be acquired through its P3.9-billion budget for 2017 were being “carefully procured” to ensure there would be no corruption.
Colonel Noel Detoyato, chief of the military’s public affairs office, made the statement after the Commission on Audit called the AFP’s attention to what it said was the organization’s P3.859 billion unused budget under its modernization program that “hinders the attainment of the goals of the Agency..”
“The AFP is mindful about the zero-tolerance of the President on corruption that is why it is very careful with regard to the contracts that the AFP modernization embarks on,” Detoyato said.
In line with this, he said technical working groups are “very keen on the qualifications of the companies who will be awarded the contracts.”
He said this was to ensure that they are “competent and have the capability to provide the needed assets.”
For transparency, Detoyato revealed the status of the AFP projects under the military modernization program initiated by former President Benigno Aquino III:
– The acquisition of civil engineering equipment – dozer and grader amounting to P 95,709,768 was obligated on June 8, 2018 but was delayed due to the change of the technical working group chairman;
– The tractor heads and trailers with independent link suspension (ILS) from the same project, amounting to P20,902,075 was obligated on the same date, June 8;
– The AFP Civil Engineering Acquisition Project amounting to P1,559,952,364 was completed in January 2018 but was delayed for a month due to the clarification of existing agreements;
– The 50,000 units of pistols amounting to P876,196,550, are currently in the procurement and inspection process. The delay for the procurement was caused by the failure of the test units during endurance testing;
– The acquisition of 145 units of reflex sight for the Presidential Security Group, Basing System Project for the Philippine Air Force (PAF), and the medium lift fixed wing aircraft ILS which will be delivered and completed in July 2018 has remaining P5,559,394 unutilized. The residuals will be returned to the Bureau of Treasury to be processed by the AFP Accounting Center.;
– The remaining P7,913,592 residuals from the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE 2017) is also undergoing Return of Residuals being processed by the AFP Accounting Center;
– Other projects that have remaining savings/residuals that are undergoing Return of Residuals are the following: PAF LRPA Basing and Hangarage Construction Project (P520,450 worth of savings/residuals), PAF 3rd weather high endurance cutter (P454,046,762 worth of savings/residuals), and PAF Radar Basing Support System Project – Paredes Air Station (P5,901,983 worth of savings/residuals)
Detoyato gave the assurance the military will “expedite the delivery of much needed assets without compromising their quality relative to our required specifications,” despite the delays that were “expected in the procurement process.”
He also gave the assurance this would not hamper “ongoing and future military operations.”
