Printing firm washes hands of NPO mess

MANILA, Philippines - A private printing company has washed its hands off alleged irregularities at the National Printing Office (NPO) that prompted members of the agency’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) to resign en masse.

In his resignation, NPO deputy director Sherwin Prose Castañeda claimed that TopBest Printing Corp. was favored by NPO chief Francisco Vales Jr.

Castañeda claimed that he resigned as BAC chairman along with 10 other BAC members after Vales supposedly pressured them to renew a P50-million lease contract with TopBest without public bidding.

The printing company, however, denied any involvement in the alleged anomaly.

“We have never solicited or lobbied for any printing jobs from the government or private office,” lawyer Buenaventura Miranda of TopBest said in a statement.

Miranda said TopBest had never been involved in any anomalous transaction.

Vales has ordered an investigation of Castañeda over alleged questionable P66-million print orders for the Social Security System (SSS), which were awarded to three private printers.

TopBest demanded a public apology from Castañeda and the BAC members and threatened to initiate legal action to protect its “interest and unblemished reputation.” 

Castañeda denied involvement in the awarding of the SSS contracts, saying these were not subjected to bidding by the BAC.

“When I was appointed head of the BAC on Sept. 6, the work for SSS had been assigned by the Production Planning and Control Division to the three private printers,” he said.