Ombudsman prosecutors charged Lorenzo and Yap, as well as Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp. (Philphos) representative Tomas Guibani, with five counts of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. According to prosecutors, Lorenzo and Yap gave unwarranted benefits to Philphos by directing the bids and awards committees in five of the country’s regions to purchase 92,158 bags of fertilizer through negotiated procurement, instead of competitive bidding. A total of 66,782 bags of fertilizer worth P31.32 million went to Central Luzon. Bail of P150,000 each was set for the provisional liberty of Lorenzo, Yap and Guibani. ADVERTISEMENTSought for comment, Yap, representative of Bohol’s third district, told the Inquirer that “the NFA procurement followed the law and resulted in savings for the government.”

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer April 30, 2018 22:41 UTC