(L-R) Representatives from the DOH, DILG, and BFP assist PS-DBM staff as they pick up their orders of COVID-19 response items at the PS Main Office in Paco, Manila.
In solidarity with the healthcare workers and other front-liners of the fight against COVID-19, the Philippine Government also takes a firm stand at the forefront of the battle.
The nationwide mobilization of efforts to combat the viral disease has been strategically put in place following President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a state of calamity in the country. Consequently, government agencies and departments have gone above and beyond their call of duty.
We are at war and are fighting an adversary that is practically invisible. Amid this, the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) has been equipping our medical professionals, servicemen and women with gears to protect themselves from the common enemy.
This week, the PS-DBM successfully delivered COVID-19 response items to the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and its attached agency, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). Among the items were disposable head and shoe covers, surgical masks, and gloves.
These items have been made available for procurement as Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (CSE) in accordance with the issuance of Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Resolution No. 03-2020, approving the adoption of efficient, effective, and expedient procurement procedures during a state of public health emergency.
A team of BFP personnel at the PS-DBM Main Office.
The DILG and BFP were accommodated on Tuesday, March 24, at the PS Main Office in Paco, Manila. With their procurement of around 120,000 pairs of gloves, 50,000 surgical masks, and hundred pieces of head covers, the government bodies commend the ‘fast and efficient’ service of the PS-DBM.
“We are very grateful… These will be distributed to our front-liners deployed nationwide,” a BFP personnel said.
The DOH, meanwhile, was attended to on Thursday, March 26, at the same venue. Procuring a rough estimate of 880,000 pieces of gloves, 78,000 pieces of head covers, and 9,900 pairs of shoe covers, the Health Department is likewise appreciative of PS-DBM’s assistance.
“[It was] a smooth transaction. The staff are very accommodating and helpful with our queries,” James Remar Fajardo of the DOH said.
A truckload of COVID-19 response items has officially been turned over to the DOH from the PS-DBM.
The PS-DBM and its Special Bids and Awards Committee are exerting best efforts to conduct procurement activities despite the threat of the virus. The PS-DBM operates on skeletal force and work from home arrangements to continually serve the agencies in facilitating procurement of the items. This is to ensure that other essential supplies such as sanitizers, thermometers, hand soap, detergent, cleaning materials, personal protective equipment (PPEs), common medicines, and testing kits will also be offered and provided.
In support of the government’s efforts to curb the lethal effects of the pandemic, the PS-DBM reiterates its commitment to be of service to the Filipino people by providing smart—and healthy—procurement solutions.
Justine Ochoa (L) of the DILG and Reygienald Nacario (R) of the PS-DBM with other staff during the turnover of COVID-19 response items.
“As public servants, mamamayang Pilipino ang nakikinabang sa pinagtatrabahuhan natin. At parte ng sambayanan ang mga pamilya natin. Gagawin mo lahat para sa family mo, ‘di ba? As government employees, when you’re committed to your work, it means you’re also committed to your family,” said Reygienald Nacario, a Procurement Management Officer of the PS-DBM Marketing and Sales Division who worked closely with the DOH, DILG, and BFP in making sure the COVID-19 response items were properly turned over.
It was also the collective sentiment of PS-DBM staff that by selling and providing the PPEs and other supplies to client-agencies, the spread of the virus might be contained, and eventually be eradicated.
The items are also expected to be available in the regions through PS-DBM’s nationwide network of depots.
The PS-DBM officials and employees may not be identified as front-liners, but as the ones tasked to procure items, supplies, and equipment for their protection during this crisis, they are right behind their backs.
For more information on the available items and other supplies that are soon to be made available, please visit the PS-DBM catalogue here, and click the category “Covid-19 Response Items.” For agencies using the Virtual Store, the said items will also be included in the orderable CSEs. Agencies only need to click their APP-CSE 2020 and indicate the quantities they require for each item. For other concerns and inquiries, you may email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..