EXPLAIN STRADCOM DEAL

ROMULO Neri, president of the Social Security System, should explain why the state-administered private pension fund awarded its P3-billion identification card project to the Stradcom-led consortium despite failing to submit all bid requirements.

Militant party-list group Anakpawis said Neri should “explain to ordinary workers, stakeholders of SSS, why Stradcom was awarded the contract.”

“Hard-earned money of ordinary workers should not be held hostage to the prerogative of SSS management,” said Cherry Clemente, Anakpawis secretary general.

Clemente said the SSS management should have first consulted the workers and other stakeholders before entering into a deal with any company.

“The money in SSS should be cared for with utmost diligence and high ethical considerations (because) Neri's credibility as SSS chief is still questionable,” Clemente said.

The militant group said it is “closely studying” the issue if it will necessitate a congressional inquiry.

Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza earlier called for the scrapping of the project after losing bidders cried foul over the decision of the SSS management to award the project to Stradcom.

Losing bidders have decried the awarding of the SSS unified multipurpose identification (UMID) card project to a consortium led by Stradcom Corp., an information technology company that was involved in the controversial P4-billion LTO Information Technology project a few years ago.

Stradcom has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying it complied with all the bid requirements of SSS and was cleared in the LTO controversy.

Plaza, however, expressed surprise over reports that Stradcom cornered the SSS contract despite alleged controversies surrounding previous projects that the company undertook with other government agencies.

“Bakit pinasali ng SSS (sa bidding), e may pending imbestigasyon dito sa Congress,” Plaza told Remate Tonight. He said he would file a separate resolution to investigate and stop the Stradcom-SSS deal.

He said contracts like the ones entered into by the LTO and SSS are “one-sided” and are examples of “corruption that is hidden from the public.”

Losing bidders in the SSS project have questioned why Stradcom cornered the contract despite its failure to submit all bid documents.

The joint venture of Stradcom, All Card and Teco submitted the lowest bid of P1.689 billion in the SSS project. Another bidder, the consortium of Banner, Sinophil, Arjowiggin and C & C offered P2.189 billion for the project, while AC Corp. and Oberthur Technologies submitted a bid of P2.257 billion.

In a manifesto issued by losing bidders, “the joint venture of All Card, Stradcom and Teco should have been disqualified and not allowed to have their third envelope opened.” They said the Stradcom group had no compliance statements for ISO and ANSI certification.

The group said that despite the lacking documents, the SSS bids and awards committee still considered the Stradcom bid.

Plaza blames Stradcom for controversial LTO deal

THE Land Transportation has become a “slave” of Stradcom, said a lawmaker who called for a congressional inquiry last year of the company's contract with the LTO.

Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza said Stradcom used LTO personnel to collect fees for the company’s information technology project.

“Ginawa pa nilang atchoy ang LTO, ginawa nilang kolektor,” said Plaza, adding that the collection of fees by LTO for the IT project was not stated in the contract.

“Nang manalo ang Stradcom sa bidding, dadalawang item lang ang nasa (kontrata), yung licensing at vehicle registration,” the lawmaker said.

He added: “Doon sa amendments sa contract, nagtataka ako. Hindi naman dumaan ng bidding kung bakit nadagdagan ng walo (na items). Sa madaling salita, sampung charges na ang pwede nilang ipataw para sa IT, IT fees.”

Because of the ammendments to the contract, the fees charged the public went up, Plaza said. He said even emission testing of vehicles are chaged with IT fees even it is not included in the contract.

He said the government did not benefit from the deal even as the government spend for the office and even the personnel used in the project. Plaza said even the office of Stradcom is located inside the LTO compound.

“Kaninong tao? LTO, kuryente, lahat po ang gumagastos ay LTO, ‘yong building nila nasa loob ng LTO, sagot yan ng LTO lahat. 'Di ba malinaw na panloloko na ito sa taumbayan?” Plaza said.

He said when LTO submits its annual budget, it includes the funds used for Stradcom.

Plaza said influential people might be behind Stradcom for it to corner juicy government contracts.

“So far walang direct link (ang palasyo), pero nagtataka naman ako na walang ginagawa ang executive para matigil ang kalokohan ng Stradcom,” the lawmaker said.

Non appearance sa emission testing talamak sa LTO

TALAMAK na naman ang non-appearance sa emission testing ng mga sasakyan na ipinarerehistro sa Land Transportation Office (LTO).

Ayon sa Coalition of Clean Air Advocates (CCAA), noong isang taon lamang ay halos mawala na ng tuluyan ang non-appearance sa emission testing ng nagpatupad sila ng mga “self-regulation measures” sa tulong ng mga PETC IT Providers upang kusang malinis ang kanilang industrya. Ito ay ang pagbigay parusa sa mga PETC na nakitaan ng ebidensya ng pandaraya sa emission testing at ang paglimita sa bilang ng emission test na maisasagawa ng isang PETC sa isang araw.

Ngunit ng magpalabas ang dating LTO Chief Lomibao ng isang kautusan na nagpapahintulot sa IT nito na Stradcom Corporation na mag direct connectivity sa mga PETCs, muli na namang dumami ang mauusok na sasakyan dahil sa Non-appearance operation ng mga tiwaling PETCs na pinapayagan ng sistema ng Stradcom.

Sinubukan ng kausapin at paliwanagan ng CCAA ang Stradcom sa hangarin nito na kung sana ay makisama sila sa pagsugpo ng pandaraya ng PETC.

Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng hindi pagtanggap ng mga PETCs na kasalukuyang napatawan ng parusa ng kanilang grupo at ang pagsagawa ng karagdagang hakbang para di na makapagsagawa ng Non-appearance ang mga PETC na pinakakabit nito, tulad ng ginagawa ng mga kasalukuyang PETC IT Providers.

Subalit ito ay binalewala umano ng Stradcom,sa halip ay lalo pa nilang pinaigting ang kanilang pagkabit sa mga tiwaling PETCs at hinayaan pa nila ang mga ito na magpadala ng daan daang emission tests sa isang araw kahit pa imposibleng maisagawa ito ng isang matinong PETC.

Ayon kay Herminio Buerano Jr., presidente ng CCAA, ang pagbalewala ng Stradcom sa kanilang panawagan ay isa lamang patunay na ang Stradcom ay walang pakialam sa mga layunin ng Clean Air Act at ang nais lang nito ay kumita ng milyon milyon kahit na ang polusyon sa ating bansa ay lumalala na at ang publiko ay nagkakasakit na dahil sa maruming hangin na ibinubuga ng mga sasakyan.Ayon sa pag-aaral ng World Bank, 43 katao ang namamatay araw-araw dahil sa pollution related illnesses.

Idinagdag pa ni Bernard Chang Jr, Chairman ng PETCOA, isa sa mga kasapi ng CCAA , ”It does not make sense for Stradcom not to cooperate with our efforts and advocacy to clean up the emission program ,this is a good opportunity for them to exhibit corporate/social responsibility.”

Bunsod nito ay nananawagan ang CCAA sa nanumbalik na LTO Chief Suansing na patigilin na sa lalong madaling panahon ang direct connectivity ng Stradcom dahil hindi naman talaga ito nakatulong sa pagsugpo ng pandaraya sa industriya bagkus ay nagpalala pa nito.

Stradcom kumita ng P6B, di nagbayad ng buwis

IBINULGAR ng Commission on Audit na nakakolekta ang Stradcom Corporation ng mahigit sa P6 bilyon mula sa kontrata nito sa Land Transportation Office, subalit hindi nagbayad ng buwis ang nasabing kompanya.

Ayon sa report ng COA, lumagda sa isang kasunduan ang Stradcom at LTO upang maging "exclusive contractor" ng LTO ang kompanya para sa pagbibigay ng lisensya sa student drivers.

Nabatid sa rekord ng LTO na batay sa kasunduan, ang student license permit ay nagkakahalaga ng P150.

Batay sa COA report, kumita ang Stradcom ng halos P6 bilyon subalit ang "tax withheld" mula sa gross revenue ng kompanya ay umabot lamang sa P275 milyon.

Nagtataka ang COA kung saan napunta ang ibang nakolektang pera.

Magugunitang kamakailan ay hiniling sa Kongreso na imbestigahan ang kasunduan ng LTO sa Stradcom na nakakuha din ng isang build-operate transfer contract mula sa LTO para sa P4 Bilyon computerization project.

Nangako ang Stradcom na ikokonekta nito ang may 250 tanggapan ng LTO at aayusin ang serbisyo, pero sa kabila nito hindi pa rin kumpleto ang proyekto hanggang sa kasalukuyan.

Ayon sa COA, wala man lamang inilaang parusa o multa sa Stradcom ang kontrata para sa pagkabalam ng pagpapatupad ng proyekto.

Sinabi ng isang mambabatas kamakailan na naging "alila" ng Stradcom ang LTO kasi mga tauhan pa ng LTO ang nagsilbing kolektor ng kompanya para sa "information technology project" nito.

“Ginawa pa nilang atchoy ang LTO, ginawa nilang kolektor,” ayon sa kongresista. Nang manalo ang Stradcom sa bidding, dadalawang item lang ang nasa (kontrata), yung licensing at vehicle registration,” anang kongresista.

MoA against smoke belching signed

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) entered to a memorandum agreement Wednesday with the Coalition of Clean Air Advocates (CCAA) and Private Emission Testing Center (PETC) IT providers to fight smoke belching in support of the government’s implementation of Clean Air Act.

The agreement was signed by CCAA President Jojo Buerano, Michael Barrido-RDMS, Atty. Ben Mora of LTO-PETC Monitoring Team, Benny Techico-Eurolink, and Mark Halili- ETC IT.

The signing of MOA was personally witnessed by LTO Chief Alberto Suansing.

Suansing believed that the move will help the LTO to monitor emission test results conducted by various emission test centers.

“This is an effort by the LTO to clean the air through monitoring of emission test results, being conducted by various emission test centers… ito ay campaign natin para sa pag-didisiplina sa industriya,” Suansing said.

He said that the move will strengthen partnership between LTO, non-government organizations (NGOs) and PETC IT providers to fight non-appearance in any emission testing needed for the registration of vehicle and to avoid conflict of interest in emission testing. (LTO)

LTO backpedals on shutdown of direct connectivity project

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has modified an order it issued last Monday stopping the pilot implementation of the private emission testing center (PETC) direct connectivity project.

LTO chief Alberto Suansing said he decided to modify the cease and desist order he issued earlier, which would allow their information technology provider Stradcom Corp. to continue the test implementation of the project but limited only to the 88 PETCs it has already covered.

He said allowing Stradcom to push through with the direct connection facility would enable LTO to check the viability and effectivity of the scheme to eradicate anomalous smoke emission tests, especially “non-appearance” cases that have been the bane of the whole smoke emission test process.

The direct connect project was proposed by Stradcom supposedly as a measure to weed out “non-appearaance cases” in view of the failure of PETCs and their information technology (IT) providers to stop these anomalous smoke emission tests.

The project, however, was blamed by PETCs for the alleged surge in non-appearance cases in the past several weeks since Stradcom launched the direct connect facility, which mainly allows the PETC to connect directly to the LTO systems database when it uploads real-time through the Internet photographs of each smoke emission test of a vehicle due for renewal of its registration.

The Clean Air Act has mandated the compulsory smoke emission testing of all vehicles whose owners are seeking the renewal of their registration with the LTO.

Lawyer Dan Barrameda, vice president for legal and corporate affairs of RDMS, one of the LTO’s four accredited PETC-IT providers, said they will file a complaint before the Department of Transportation and Communications against Suansing’s modification of his order totally stopping the direct connect facility pilot implementation because “it seems arbitrary.”

Stradcom, for its part, warned that PETC-IT providers were in danger of losing their LTO accreditation due to conflicts of interest because some PETC-IT providers allegedly own a PETC.

LTO-accredited PETCs lash back at Stradcom

Some Land Transportation Office-accredited private emission testing centers (PETCs) yesterday lashed back at Stradcom Corp., accusing the LTO’s information technology provider of trying to monopolize IT procedures in the government agency.

Officials from the LTO-accredited PETCs, at the same time, turned the tables against Stradcom Corp., claiming the private company has no legal basis in pursuing direct connectivity with PETCs and accused it of muscling up the PETCs to enter into such set-up, allegedly to monopolize the system.

The PETC officials also denied allegations of conflict of interest by Stradcom Corp. against some PETCs whose management and ownership are the same with their IT provider, as they claimed that there are no formal complaints against the PETCs as to date.

Lawyer Dan Barrameda, of RDMS testing center, explained that Stradcom Corp.’s direct connect facility is one clear case of conflict of interest, saying the LTO-IT provider collects fees from LTO and also from the PETCs which transmit data for processing.

Barrameda said Stradcom as the IT provider of LTO receives the data from the PETC and validates the same, and under its direct connect facility, it is the IT provider of the PETC that transmits the data to the LTO-IT system.

It is a clear case of conflict of interest because it transmits and receives unto itself, Barrameda said.

Jay Bautista, of Eurolink PETC, seconded Barrameda’s statements even as he claimed the direct connectivity of Stradcom Corp. to individual PETCs is still under operational testing but it is already collecting payment from the PETC which is clearly anomalous.

On the other hand, Mark Halili, of ETC-IT, branded Stradcom’s earlier claim of breach of contract and non-payment of P38 million by PETCs as pure harassment.

He also clarified the alleged violation of PETC-IT providers to Department Order 2005-37 of the Department of Transportation and Communications has no basis and is not enough reason to stop the operation of the IT Providers.

He said this move is a pure harassment of the IT providers because the Stradcom wants to monopolize the business.