The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao graced the premises of the Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) Main Office in Paco, Manila on August 2, 2024.
MSSD’s visit was mainly for the orientation on the Government Fares Agreement (GFA) Program of PS-DBM, conducted by the Marketing and Sales Division (MSD) - Customer Service Team. While other participants, mostly from local government units (LGUs), attended online, MSSD opted to participate in person to gain better understanding of GFA, especially after signing the Memorandum of Agreement for Registration.
Following the training, the MSSD representatives — namely, Ms. Zoraya B. Masakal, Director; Ms. Jane L. Abdul, Supervising Administrative Officer; and Mr. Romer D. Antiporda, Jr., Accountant — paid a courtesy call to PS-DBM Acting Executive Director (ED) Genmaries “Gen” S. Entredicho-Caong. In the meeting, various points for discussion were tackled, providing them with more insights on the agency’s best procurement practices as the central purchasing arm of the whole of government for Common-use Supplies and Equipment (CSE).
In relation, ED Gen shared that PS-DBM is now awaiting a resolution from the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) that shall reintroduce airline tickets as CSE through GFA. This forms part of PS-DBM’s initiatives to expand its Product Catalogue, which will soon include motor vehicles and cloud computing services.
The discussion between PS-DBM and MSSD was made even more relevant with the passage of the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA). With this, the Electronic Marketplace, or eMarketplace, will be launched soon — a new feature of the modernized Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) that shall serve as the government’s official e-commerce platform. The NGPA likewise mandates the whole of government, including LGUs, to procure from PS-DBM.
Also present in the orientation/meeting were Atty. Philip Josef T. Vera Cruz, Director for Operations Group; Ms. Leah Valdez, Head of MSD; Mr. Omar Bernal, Deputy Chief of MSD; Ms. Rodevie Cruz, MSD-CS Team Lead; and Ms. Aira Mira M. Oblino. A separate meeting about GFA funding was also facilitated, attended by representatives from the Comptroller Division headed by Ms. Lady Lou Gimeno. MSSD’s visit was capped off with a facility tour of the warehouses.
PS-DBM appreciates MSSD’s support to PS-DBM, as the agency moves toward creating a public procurement system that is efficient, transparent, sustainable, and inclusive. | August 5, 2024/KR