CISA denies cuts in Capitol, Daneco security contracts

Jan 27-feb 2, 2011

By Cha Monforte

Branch officers of the Christian Investigation Security Agency (CISA) denied they had bagged security services contracts by bribing or giving in for contract cuts for officials in Davao del Norte  provincial government and Davao del Norte Electric Cooperatives.

In an interview Wednesday, CISA branch manager Efren de la Cruz, a retired policeman, said that they won the contracts of the both agencies in legal way.

CISA bagged first Daneco’s contract involving 60 security guards last November and the contract with provincial government last December 28 with 38 security guards.

Allegations were flouted in the media by unknown sectors that a few Capitol officials unknown to Goverrnor Rodolfo del Rosario had allegedly made money out from the transaction of replacing the in-house security personnel with the private security firm, which was vehemently denied by provincial administrator Rufo “Pong” Peligro as malicious and untrue.

Also, provincial bids and awards committee (BAC) chairman Samson Sanchez earlier said that the transaction duly followed the procedure spelled out in the new government procurement law, Republic Act No. 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act).

On the other hand, the allegation that the Daneco’s board officials led by Dean Briz that they had a cut of P500 from each of the CISA’s 60 security guards was allegedly hurled by rejected general manager aspirant Allan Laniba, who subsequently denied that he raised the allegation to the local media.

Reports said that because of Laniba’s allegations, Briz along with some board officials would be filing a case against Laniba.

In the same interview,  CISA Tagum branch operations manager Ourie Ligawan and office manager Noel de la Cruz showed off to local reporters their brand new 9 MM handguns to dispel allegation reportedly raised also by Laniba that CISA is not worthy to bag the Daneco contrast due to its defective and malfunctioning firearms.

“Padaganon daw nato tong ang nangestorya ana, ug tan-awon nato kung daut ba gyod ning among armas,” said Ligawan in gist while brandishing a shining 9 MM pistol.

He said that the the CISA security guards were in fact “so happy to have the opportunity of carrying these type of firearms” referring to the 9 MM pistols and automatic shotguns that he said were all licensed and allowed by law for security agencies to issue to their guards.

As to the issue that the CISA’s owner Rolando de la Cruz, who is always in Manila, is a friend of President Benigno Aquino III, Noel de la Cruz, a younger brother of the owner, said, “o,  kaila siya kang P-Noy as a President” and not otherwise. Ligawan said that CISA owner is not a friend nor supporter of P-Noy, asking “kinsa man siya (older De la Cruz) nga kaila ni P-Noy?”

The younger Dela Cruz  said that “CISA is not a fly-by-night security agency” as some quarters tried to belittle it .

He said that CISA has security contracts with Fontana, a big supplier company with chains and branches nationwide, and other businesses and local government units in various provinces of Luzon and places in Metro Manila including individual mall tenants.

“For Fontana alone, we have 135 security guards,” he said.

He said that besides the Tagum branch in Mindanao CISA has also branches in Cagayan de Oro and General Santos cities.

The CISA Tagum branch, he said, besides securing the Capitol and Daneco has also contracts with Prime Fruits in Cuambogan, Tagum City and Red Logo Davao which has operations in the city and Cagayan deo Oro City.

Dela Cruz said that CISA opened its branch in Tagum two years ago and that the CISA owned by his brother has been in operations for two years after the latter formed his own security agency out from the mother unit owned by him and his Manila associates who have long been in security services business.

In the Capitol’s P6.3 million  contract for 2011, if the amount would be grossly divided by 38 security guards, about P13,816 monthly would be shared by each of the security guards.

“For each of the Capitol guards we are giving them a salary of P4,200 per quincina,” office manager De la Cruz said.

At that amount, the monthly salary would reach to P8,400 for each, which if deducted to the computed per capita share of P31,816 would give CISA a gross profit of P5,416 from each guard.

He said that from the gross profit they would have still for pay the obligations for the SSS, Philhealth and insurance coverages of their guards employed and the overhead, operating and administration costs as well.

He then asked where would they get sourcing from the alleged contract cuts for the Capitol officials.

He said that they were given by the Capitol the Certificate of Award on December 28, 2010.

Ligawan said that the Capitol’s BAC found CISA papers to be already complete after the Butuan City-based United Field Sea Watchman and Checkers Agency (UFSWCA) was knocked off for being an unresponsive bidder after failing to submit all the bidding requirements as required by BAC.

He said that CISA was only asked to submit one lacking requirement, which he said the CISA Manila headquarters had complied on Dec. 28, 2010 “sent through the internet”.

The requirement, “about the BIR tax document”, would seem to hve been scanned and e-mailed directly to the still unknown requesting Capitol officials.

“Kung tinuod nang naghatag mi, nah kami na lang unta ang mokuha ana kay pobre man pod mi. Sa pagkatinoud, legal gyod ang among pagdaug sa bidding. Mas maayo mi kay naa pod mi CCTV camera nga apil sa among services sa Capitol ug Daneco,” branch manager De la Cruz said. (cha monforte)

Filed under: davao del norte security, davao del norte security

OPINION: A season to ask

Jan 27-feb 2, 2011

COMMENTARY

In everything there’s a season, so the adage says. Rainy days are coming and going now but the heat of the summer season would surely come, up next. It’s good there are rains now. At least, there’s deja vu and familarity brought by this current season’s wet tempest than we are ever confused by the swiftness of the drift and change of the global climate we have now.

In Davao del Norte’s Capitol front, we mean its field of governance, there seems to be turmoil before and after the bagging of the security services contract of the Christian Investigation Security Agency (CISA). There was that evident bypassing of the authority of the acting governor before the awarding of the contract and the snubbing of the invitation of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan after the awarding of the contract. Whetever the legal assertions of the two parties, we still maintain that question of law and question of facts relating CISA’s contract must be settled by legal authorities- our courts owing to the unsettled issues that the two parties cannot obviously resolved within their means. This, unless silence or a gag order can be imposed to quell murmurs around. But this is going too far from the the unraveling of bared circumstances and obtained facts.

For one, new citations of facts are obtained like when CISA was required by Capitol executive officials- certainly not the governor who was still in the United States when the transaction happened- to comply one requirement that the CISA Tagum officers said to be insufficient/lacking. On the very day the contract was awarded, December 28, 2010, the document about a BIR tax certification (as recalled by CISA officers) was obviously scanned using a scanner and e-mailed by CISA Manila office directly to the Capitol. On the same day in our derived chronology, CISA was subsequently declared to have complied that one deficient/ lacking document making it the winning bidder for having the least calculated responsive bid. So for being responsive of its documents, CISA was then declared the final winner though its bid was only second to the lowest.  A question is immediately raised: Is a scanned, e-mailed document that is subsequently printed out a legal document allowable within the new procurement law? Certainly, this question is added to the existing questions about whether there is a need for the acting governor to issue a Notice to Proceed if the assertion that appointed officials have all the power to purchase goods and services is allowed to pass uncontested. And second, to the question on whether the contract with CISA should need to pass first for the prior authorization and approval of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan as expressed and implied in the Supreme Court ruling on Boardmembers Quisumbing et al versus Governor Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu Province.

As in everything which has a season, the Davao del Norte provincial governance, too, has always its own season of victories and accomplishments as it has its own rare season of questionings and need for official clarifications and responses within the democratic order we have. The Davao del Norte Capitol  is a microcosm of the democratic society we have and it can never prevent issues sprining out like about processes vis-a-vis the laws and ideals of governance. Certainly, there is no grandstanding when issues emerged right from the provincial board that is composed of many minds. Much less there’s fishing expedition when the legislative department asks for resource persons with the aim that they be enlightened to render legislative support for the needs of the executive department, or in aid of legislation. If it is so shunted of that avenue to express, ask and inquire, then we better close down the legislative department for being just a rubberstamp of the much powerful executive department. But this cannot be as the general public will ultimately and surely ask, where’s the check and balance there?  – Cha Monforte

Filed under: davao del norte security, davao del norte security