City to form uniform purchase committee

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government will form a committee that will facilitate the purchase of uniforms for City Hall employees.

This came after the city cancelled the plan to commission a Manila supplier for the uniforms to avoid questions from those who earlier complained about the transaction.

Last February, the City Council questioned the purchase of the uniforms that allegedly did not undergo proper procedures. The council questioned why there was no bidding and why the executive department chose a Manila supplier while there are many suppliers available in Cebu.

The executive department explained earlier that the purchase of the uniform is not a government transaction and needs no bidding because it will be charged from the personal account of the employees.

The executive department only facilitated the purchase this year because over the years that the city government let the employees to individually produce their uniforms, the uniforms become not uniform at all.

Veronica Morelos, the new OIC-Human Resource and Development Officer, said that they are awaiting the members who will be appointed by Mayor Michael Rama to form the committee.

The committee will determine the guidelines on the purchase of the uniform using the employees’ uniform allowance for this year amounting to P18 million. Each employee is given P4,000 uniform allowance annually.

In the past year, the allowance is released to the employees in cash. It was agreed this year to centralize the purchase.

Morelos said the committee will also determine if they will let the purchase undergo a bidding process or not.

But she said that the bidding will not be necessary. (FREEMAN)