A Philippines portal to transparency

CoST-MPI webpage to make dubious infra projects ‘thing of the past’

The Construction Sector Transparency Initiative through CoST Philippines Foundation Inc. has soft- launched the MPI webpage in the PhilGEPS.

Director Estanislao Granados gave the audience snippets of his experiences regarding unscrupulous public infrastructure projects in the regions and how these should be a thing of the past soon with the government and the public monitoring contract implementation through the CoST-MPI webpage in the PhilGEPS.

The MPI webpage will enable the disclosure of accurate information on certain government infrastructure projects that will pave the way for an informed evaluation and appreciation of the said projects by the public and stakeholders.

The PhilGEPS and the Commission on Audit, the assurance partner, share the vision with COSTPhils that this project will further promote and enhance the values of transparency and accountability and provide the additional push for reforms in government procurement. Transparency and accountability are indicators of a government that is citizen-focused and service-oriented.

The inception of PhilGEPS in 2000 was also inspired by these same values when the government decided to launch the first portal that would host all information on public bid opportunities that will serve as a marketplace for both government buyers and suppliers.

The Government Procurement Reform Act or RA 9184 of 2003 enabled the standardization and streamlining of government procurement processes and encouraged public monitoring of bid activities.

Anti-corruption provisions were incorporated in the law, including provisions for sanctions and penalties for non-compliance with the rules and guidelines. With these, the law and information technology infrastructure to promote transparency and accountability have been put in place.

Prior to the availability of the MPI webpage, the PhilGEPS system captured data from bid advertisement up to award to the winning bidder. It does not have the facility for monitoring infrastructure project implementation or contract execution activities.

As such, PhilGEPS’ capability was underutilized as a management information system for procuring entities and as a tool for transparent disclosure of procurement information to auditors, suppliers, CSOs and NGOs, other stakeholders and the public. This feature is essential in tracking information on how public service delivery is being done and how government funds are being spent efficiently.

Full transparency in government must also be an incentive for decision makers to be more accountable and to always act in a spirit of compliance. Full performance disclosure must enable government agencies to focus on the actual quality of outcomes, not just the quantity of activities – to come up with proper, honest and enduring public infrastructure projects that serve the best interest of the Filipinos.