NPO chief rebuffs plunder, graft raps

MANILA, Philippines - The head of the government-owned National Printing Office (NPO) has denied that plunder and graft charges have been filed against him and several others for allegedly anomalous lease contracts.

“Apparently, it’s a ghost plunder case. We have not received any copy of such case,” NPO director Emmanuel Andaya said, referring to an article published in the Sept. 25 issue of The STAR.

Andaya noted that the supposed complainant, Guillermo Sylianteng Jr., general manager of printing firm Ready Forms Inc., has a bad record in the printing industry.

Sylianteng’s company, a former NPO sub-contractor, was suspended and blacklisted by former NPO officials Enrique Gana and Servano Hizon in 2008, according to Andaya.

“He wants to disenfranchise the NPO as a legitimate printing agency of the government and allow his company to produce government forms,” he said. “The government will not risk (having) counterfeit official receipts or land titles proliferate.”

He said the accusations hurled against him and other NPO officials by Sylianteng were baseless.

Andaya said the NPO is authorized to lease machines under Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Law.

“All lease contracts entered into by the NPO with private firms were subjected to public bidding,” Andaya said.