Bidder asks court to stop P500-M BOC project

MANILA, Philippines - A firm that lost a bidding for the Bureau of Customs’ P500-million computerization project asked the Manila regional trial court (RTC) yesterday to stop the BOC from awarding it to the winning bidder.

In a 19-page petition for review, Omniprime Marketing Inc. president Annabelle Margaroli asked court to issue a temporary restraining order or writ of preliminary injunction to stop the BOC from awarding the deal to the joint venture of Webb Fontaine and Grow Inc.

She also asked the court to annul a notice of award, dated May 10, the BOC issued in favor of Webb Fontaine for the Integrated Philippine Customs System project.

Margaroli alleged that Webb Fontaine submitted bid documents with the notary public’s signature forged. She said lawyer Pedro Genato, whose signature appeared on the documents, confirmed that he did not notarize them.

She said she learned that the person who actually notarized the documents is Joel Lapinig, “who was using the seal of… Genato in notarizing documents.”

Genato, on May 8, had told Jennifer dela Cruz-Buendia, clerk of court of the Manila RTC that he has issued several certifications that he did not notarize Webb Fontaine’s documents, Margaroli said in her petition.

She accused BOC Commissioner Rufino Biazon of committing grave abuse of discretion when he did not recall the notice of award despite the alleged anomaly.

Aside from Biazon, Margaroli named BOC deputy commissioner Peter Manzano, who heads the BOC’s special bids and awards committee, as a respondent along with committee members Simplicio Domingo, Liwayway Mendoza, Corazon Azana and Caridad Manarang.