BACOLOD City – The president of Central Philippine State University (CPSU) welcomed the chance to answer allegations of corruption being thrown at him.
According to Aladino Moraca, he already filed his answer before the Commission on Audit (COA).
The allegation centered on the construction of a P49-million, three-storey classroom building at the main campus of CPSU in Barangay Oringao, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
“I want legal and exact process,” Moraca stressed, saying everything indicated in PhilGEPS was followed.
PhilGEPS is an online portal where government agencies post their procurement requirements. It was created to automate the procurement process, avoid confusion, and ensure transparency in government contracts.
According to Moraca, the project went through proper procedures under Republic Act (RA) 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Moraca furthered: “Everything that was being asked by the COA had been answered properly by the management and the technical working team of the school.”
On Feb. 23, a supposed faculty member sent an anonymous letter to Mary Grace Reyes, state auditor III of COA based in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, requesting for a probe.
According to the letter sender, a Notice of Award (NOA) and Notice to Proceed based on the approved structural/engineering and architectural design of the building project were not issued even after the bidding had concluded and a winner had been chosen.
When construction finally commenced, the letter sender further alleged, there were changes/revisions in project specifications – like the transfer of building site and revisions in the structural design, among others – “in violation of RA 9184 because such changes/revisions were never published/advertised in PhilGEPS.”
The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas, Commission on Higher Education, and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission were also furnished with copies of the letter to COA.
“The proposed project supposedly is the improvement of the annex, originally the science or heritage building,” Moraca said.
He added: “But during a meeting with the CPSU management team, technical working group and the Department of Budget (DBM), it was found out that there were technical findings as to the soil condition. Kon dira ipatindog ang project, maguba gid ang heritage building.”
Thus, Moraca said he and his team looked for another location and “that’s beside the Library Building of the school and there were no guidelines violated.”
Construction of the three-storey classroom building was ongoing, with funds from DBM.
The building, once finished, will be utilized by the CPSU College of Education.
The Central Philippines State University was formerly known as Negros State College of Agriculture./PN
