Duterte mulls to establish central procurement bureau as slams PNP’s overpriced speed guns

January 14, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte is mulling to put up an office that will handle the procurement in all government offices after being informed about the supposed overpriced speed guns that the Philippine National Police ( PNP) bought.

In an interview Monday night in Taguig City, Duterte told reporters that he wants to establish an agency similar to the Bureau of Supply during the administration of late President Ferdinand Marcos.

"I will establish a… like during Marcos time. There was this Bureau of Supply. My father was one of the Cabinet members. The Department of General Services was the one handling procurement. It was placed under my father," he said.

Duterte said he was informed that the police procured speed guns, with each unit amounting to P950,000.

But Davao City bought similar equipment amounting to P10,000 per unit, he said.

Duterte said he ordered Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año to undertake the PNP procurement.

"I removed the power of the PNP to procure equipment because the speed gun in Davao costs us about 10,000 (pesos)...950 (thousand pesos) per unit is simply abominable," he said.

"I may be wrong, I said, but I told General Año...'take it over...' His office. I will task him to do the procurement and I expect no corruption," the President added.

He said this should be a warning to all government agencies.

  "If you will keep on f****** the people’s money, I will remove the procurement powers from you," Duterte said. Celerina Monte/DMS