In an issued statement, the DA Bids and Awards Committee (DA-BAC) Undersecretary Waldo Carpio said the bidding of the fertilizers was aboveboard in response to a Central Luzon farmers group that claimed it was questionable. The volume procured comprises four of the 16 lots for wet season 2020 cropping,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar explained in a statement. “Such prices were a lot cheaper compared to previous purchases at the regions, ranging from P1,300 to P1,500 per 50-kilo bag of urea fertilizer,” he added. “I can personally vouch for the truthfulness and trustworthiness of the procurement process that the DA-BAC has exercised for these fertilizers. “We have been very transparent on the procurement of fertilizers as we know this might be used to stir false information against the government.

Source: Manila Times June 13, 2020 16:40 UTC