Sen. Raffy Tulfo yesterday questioned the P230 million fertilizer procurement deal between the Zamboanga Peninsula office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and a company whom he alleged has a record of delayed deliveries.
During the hearing on the proposed 2024 DA budget, Tulfo said the department should have already blacklisted Universal Harvester Inc. since its internal audit service has reported that the firm has supposedly repeatedly failed to deliver goods on time after winning biddings for fertilizer procurement.
Tulfo alleged Universal Harvester Inc. has been awarded supply contracts in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, and Zamboanga Peninsula despite its bad track record.
The fertilizers will be used for the DA’s National Rice Program.
“Lagi itong pumapalya and yet paulit-ulit na nananalo sa bidding, at pinapasali pa rin sa bidding. Dapat blacklisted na ito (The company has been remiss and yet it always wins in the bidding and is still allowed to join in the biddings. The company should have already been blacklisted). What’s going on? Can anybody answer me?” Tulfo asked.
The senator said that Universal Harvester Inc. was awarded a P230 million contract by the Zamboanga Peninsula DA regional office allegedly “without a bidding.”
Tulfo said the regional office only supposedly used a “purchase order” to allow the company to supply the fertilizers.
“Alam naman ninyong bawal (the use of purchase order), dapat bidding. We are talking here of P230 million. Dapat may makasuhan dito ng plunder. Madam chair, kailangan maimbestigahan ito ng malaliman (You know that it is illegal [to use purchase orders], there should be a bidding. We are talking here of P230 million. Someone should be charged with plunder. Madam chair, this needs to be investigated thoroughly),” Tulfo told finance sub-committee chairperson Sen. Cynthia Villar.
Reynaldo Campomanes, DA Region IX officer-in-charge, denied Tulfo’s statements and told the panel a public bidding was held for the supply of the P230 million worth of fertilizers.
The bidding, he said, was participated in by Universal Harvester Inc. and two other companies. He added the former won the bidding as it offered the lowest price for the fertilizers.
When asked by Tulfo if his office investigated Universal Harvester Inc. before it was allowed to participate in the bidding process, Campomanes admitted they were not aware of the company’s past records, to which the senator said the regional official failed to exercise due diligence.
Tulfo alleged Universal Harvester Inc. does not have an inventory of fertilizers on hand and only source the requirements once it wins in a bidding.
He said this became obvious when it supposedly did not allow DA inspectors, who wanted to see the goods, to inspect its warehouse.
“In fact may mga taga DA na gustong i-inspect yung warehouse to make sure na nadiyan na ang mga fertilizer. Ang nangyari ay ayaw niya (Universal Harvester Inc.) kayong papasukin to inspect. Dapat kapag nanalo sa bidding, meron nang notice to proceed, agad-agad ay maide-deliver na ‘yung mga fertilizer at mababayaran siya (There were DA officers who wanted to inspect its warehouse to make sure that the fertilizers were already there.
But what happened is that the company did not allow them to inspect. The process should be that once a supplier wins and a notice to proceed is issued, the goods should be delivered immediately and then the company gets paid),” Tulfo said.
In the Zamboanga Peninsula case, he said, Universal Harvester Inc. purportedly asked for an extension to deliver the fertilizers since the company has yet to order them.
“Later on, nag buy time siya, at saka palang darating ang kanyang mga fertilizer (Later on, he bought time because the fertilizers it ordered has not yet arrived),” he added.
Tulfo asked Campomanes to provide the sub-committee with documents to prove that a bidding took place for the P230 million worth of fertilizers.
Meanwhile, a DA official from the Central Office said he will order an investigation into Tulfo’s revelations.
Ella Obligado, from the DA’s Southern Tagalog Region office, said Universal Harvester Inc. used to be their supplier but said they have not transacted with the firm since 2018.
However, Tulfo said the DA internal audit service report showed that the company participated in a bidding process in 2022.
Obligado said they will present documents to show otherwise.
