Secretary Erwin Tulfo of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in government procurement under Republic Act (RA) 9184 or the “Government Procurement Reform Act.”

In line with ensuring this thrust, DSWD has conducted an executive briefing to orient the agency’s top managers and key personnel on RA 9184 and its implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

This is part of the department’s initiative to professionalize and ensure efficient functionality of the Bids and Award Committee system, Technical Working Groups and all procurement units.

In his message, Tulfo showed the importance of the law, saying, that “as public servants, we must ensure that government resources are judiciously, properly, and efficiently utilized, and must be in compliance with the standards provided under the Reform Act.”

He noted that the briefing is timely, specially to help the new management and key personnel to have a comprehensive understanding of the law. He added that the reorientation session is important to review how DSWD is complying with the law.

To help the DSWD fully understand RA 9184, lawyer Omar Alexander Romero, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Recognized Trainer, gave a comprehensive and in-depth discussion on its provisions.

Romero discussed the importance of being familiar with the law in full detail, adding that “by learning the Government Procurement Reform Act and understanding its essence, we are able to help others proceed with their procurement tasks with confidence.”

“If the intention is to get the best value for government using simply nothing but the rules under the law, there should really be no problem. Procurement law is really straightforward,” he said.

The resource person also reminded those in the field of procurement “that we are answerable as public servants. We are accountable for our actions and activities because we are dealing with public funds. We are mere custodians. We are mere agents of the Filipino people.”

With the comprehensive discussion, the DSWD hoped that all procurement practitioners in the Agency will have the same understanding of the law leading towards building a transparent procurement system that is beneficial to the Filipino public. (PNA)