MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to sign the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) on Saturday in Malacañan Palace.
The NGPA is one of Marcos’ priority legislations. The signing comes the weekend before the president’s third State of the Nation Address on July 22 at the House of Representatives in Quezon City.
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“Ang alam ko ay may naka-schedule na signing ng Procurement Law at ng isa pang bill,” Escudero said in press briefing.
(I know there's a scheduled signing of the Procurement Law and another bill)
Asked if the signing will be held tomorrow (Saturday), Escudero responded “yes”.
According to Escudero, he got the invite on Thursday night. Another law is set to be signed but Escudero did not disclose it.
The Senate ratified the NGPA in May. When enacted, it shall amend the Government Procurement Reform Act in a bid to curtail corruption in government transactions.
“Over time, scheming minds were still able to exploit the GPRA. It is high time that we clamp down on these illegal practices by eliminating the opportunities for corruption. This is what the NGPA intends to achieve,” Sen. Sonny Angara previously said.
The NGPA would mandate proper market scoping, supply positioning, as well as provide more options for procuring entities, including direct acquisition and competitive dialogue.
The bill also cuts the period of action on procurement activities from 90 days down to 60 days.
The Department of Budget and Management also said that a significant amendment in the NGPA was the introduction of an electronic marketplace that would digitize the procurement of commonly used equipment.