Pabor sa PisoPay? BOQ deal for COVID-19 vax cards questioned

A party-list lawmaker on Sunday questioned the deal between the Bureau of Quarantine and online payment company PisoPay for the vaccination cards or yellow cards issued to those who already received COVID-19 vaccine.

Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Rep. Jericho Nograles said that PisoPay’s contract with BOQ which charges yellow card applicants a minimum of P370 a piece, is highly questionable and may have violated the Build Operate Transfer Law, which governs the Public Private Partnership projects (PPPs).

The yellow cards are internationally accepted cards now being used by Filipinos going abroad as proof of vaccination for COVID-19.

Nograles said that deal was done under questionable haste based on the statements of officials from the BOQ and PisoPay during a recent hearing of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs.

“I’d like to state for the record that the BOQ and PisoPay were probably just trying to do their best under the circumstances. However, along the way, I see your intent is good but maraming mga hindi nag-conform sa mga dapat ma-conform. The most striking for me is the competitive selection process. It’s apparent to me that the competitive selection process as provided for by the law was not followed here,” Nograles said.

BOQ deputy director Roberto Salvador admitted that PisoPay did not go through the normal bidding process for the contract due to certain exemptions.

Salvador said the contract is not covered by the Procurement Law (Republic Act 9184) because it does not involve expenditure of funds in relation to an identified appropriation.

“The engagement with PisoPay is without cost to the government,” he said.

However, Nograles pointed out that while the contract may not be covered by the Procurement law, it is a PPP contract and should be covered by the rules and regulations under the BOT Law.

“If it’s not RA 9184, then it’s PPP. There is still a competitive selection process and you (BOQ) just told us that you did direct contracting without any competitive selection and subjecting without choice the people of the Republic of the Philippines, the poor people who want to work abroad, with a P70 (convenience) fee? That’s undue advantage,” Nograles said.

Nograles added: “The bottomline is dahil nagbigay ng unsolicited proposal ang PisoPay, tinanggap na kaagad ng BOQ, and exclusive na ‘yung PisoPay. Mayroong masamang nangyari dito. Pwede talaga silang mablacklist with what they are doing, and when we say blacklist they can never contract for the government again at least for five years.”

The post Pabor sa PisoPay? BOQ deal for COVID-19 vax cards questioned first appeared on .

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)