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The Department of Education's controversial P427-million fortified noodles project-that was intended to benefit "almost 400,0000 students" in hunger-prone provinces - has been "permanently cancelled," a DepEd official said Monday.
Education Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Franklin Sunga said the Food for School Program's (FSP) Fortified Noodles Project was cancelled after the winning bidder for the project, Jeverps Manufacturing Corp., decided in late December that it would no longer contest the DepEd's decision to scrap it.
"For the public's information, the contract for the fortified noodles project in question has been effectively and permanently cancelled as the funds for the project are no longer available," Sunga said in a statement.
He said Jeverps decided to withdraw its motion for reconsideration on Dec. 23 and so the DepEd used the funds instead for the Christmas bonus of public school teachers.
The money would have reverted back to the national treasury by the end of last year if it were not used. If DepEd had decided to conduct another bidding, the new winner would have been able to deliver the noodles only by April or after the school year ends, he added.
Sunga issued the statement after Prudencio Quido, the businessman who blew the whistle on the project's alleged irregularities, said last week the DepEd intended to pursue the issue after trying to get a "favorable" legal opinion from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB).
Sunga branded Quido's claim as "malicious and baseless," saying the DepEd had sought the legal opinion of the two agencies "out of prudence and a desire to comply with the real intention of the law."
"We wanted to make sure that any decision was beyond suspicion and done with due diligence regardless of the motive or agenda of Mr. Quido," Sunga said.
"DepEd had to be doubly sure its decision to cancel the contract would be legally correct and above suspicion, considering that the DOJ and the GPPB are independent watchdogs that cannot be dictated upon," he said.
"To claim otherwise is to cast aspersions on the integrity of these institutions," he added.
Sunga noted that, right after the Senate began investigating the project, the Food for School Program was "subjected to a review by an independent committee, which included major players in the food industry, and was subsequently cleared."
The controversy began after Quido alleged in April last year that the "malunggay-fortified" noodles were overpriced and did not contain enough vitamins and minerals.
Quido is a former official of Kolonwel Trading, a prospective bidder that bought bid documents for the noodle project but did not actually join the bidding.
The DepEd countered that the noodles had been verified to contain vitamins and minerals by the Bureau of Food and Drugs and SGS Phil. Inc., a member of Societe Generale de Surveillance, an international company that provides testing and certification services of goods. INQUIRER
