SPECIAL REPORT: Makati supplier is also PAG-IBIG contractor

(UPDATED 10:00 p.m., Nov. 28, 2014) The security company that won hundreds of millions' worth of contracts from Makati City has secured contracts as well from the Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-IBIG Fund, where Vice President Jejomar  Binay is Chairman.
 

Prior to his national post, VP Binay served as Makati City mayor for 21 years. His son, Jejomar Erwin, is the incumbent mayor of the city.
 

OMNI Security Investigation, Inc., formerly OMNI Security Investigation and General Services Inc, bagged at least Php 296 Million worth of security contracts from the Makati City government from March 2013 to March 2014. 

GMA News Research found that this same security agency obtained contracts worth at least Php 1.3 Million from Pag-IBIG, sans bidding, from January 2013 to January 2014. 

'Time is of the essence' 
 

OMNI bagged four contracts from Pag-IBIG amounting to P1.37 million in 2013 for security services.

The contracts were for "three (3) Professional Security Escorts who will render 12-Hour Service to the CEO".

The contract was negotiated and did not go through the bidding process; the Award Notice Abstracts states that “time is of the essence.”

In an interview with GMA News’ Sandra Aguinaldo, Pag-IBIG President and CEO Darlene Marie Berberabe admitted that VP Binay recommended to Pag-IBIG the services of OMNI.

Berberabe said at that time, an emergency procurement was necessary because there was imminent danger to a Pag-IBIG fund executive.

“Naging precursor nitong pagkuha ng body guard ay may personal circumstance doon sa executive na nangyari na nilooban, and then there were officers that have been receiving death threats,” she explained.

Berberabe said that these are job-related threats.

“Siya (VP Binay) yung nagsabi na ito (OMNI) ang nagpo-provide ng security services sa Makati. So, dahil bago pa lang kami na lahat (sa Pag-IBIG Fund), so alam namin na very sensitive (ang security situation) at that time, and dahil sa personal circumstance na nangyari, so we had to rely on sino ba yung may experience nga or may marekomenda na karanasan with a security agency,” Berberabe added.

Disqualified in another bidding

Berberabe explained that Pag-IBIG never favored OMNI. As a matter of fact, she said, OMNI joined one bidding process for Pag-IBIG’s security detail, but was disqualified.

“Nung 2013, ang OMNI security agency ay nagparticipate sa bidding namin,” Berberabe said.

She related that there were three participating bidders in that particular contract. However, OMNI was disqualified because the security provider company was late in submitting the bid documents.

“Ibig sabihin, hindi na namin nabuksan ang bid documents nya dahil disqualified sya,” Berberabe said.

“Siguro kung yung iba, parang iniisip nila na ang insinuation o baka ipipilit ang OMNI na sya manalo sa security agency, eh I am very happy to share na dito sa pag-IBIG Fund, eh in-fact na disqualify sya.”

The bidding ultimately failed because of the disqualification of the two other participating bidders, so there was a re-bidding for the same contract, according to Berberabe.

OMNI did not join in that particular re-bidding, she said.

No official from OMNI granted GMA News’ request for interview.

Binay campaign donors

GMA News Research found that some officers of OMNI are contributors to Vice President Binay’s election campaign in 2010. 

In an earlier report, GMA News Research found that some contributors in the campaigns of Senator Nancy Binay and Mayor Jejomar Erwin were also officers of companies that secured contracts from the Makati City government.
 

The Statement of Contributions and Expenditures of the Vice President revealed that two of OMNI’s officers donated to his campaign kitty. 

Hirene Lopez, OMNI Treasurer with a declared 20 percent  ownership of the company, contributed P300,000. 

According to available SEC documents, Lopez  has been OMNI’s treasurer since 2010. She was OMNI’s corporate secretary in 2009.

In OMNI’s Affidavit of Non-Holding of Annual Meeting, Lopez was the company’s acting secretary in 2003, 2004, and 2005. 

Lopez is the wife of Tomas Lopez, President of the University of Makati and a recent appointee to the Board of Trustees of Pag-IBIG. 

The company’s current Corporate Secretary, Bernadette Portollano, also contributed P5,000 to the campaign.

Makati City Security

Data from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (Philgeps) and the Makati City Website show  that OMNI acquired more than P296.83 million worth of contracts in Makati City between 2013 and early 2014.

All nine contracts are for security services for various locations in the city such as parks, schools, and police stations.

The contract amounts range from P1.37 million to P137.47 million. All these contracts underwent public bidding, and contracts were awarded to OMNI because it offered the “lowest calculated bid.”

Sources: Makati Website, Philgeps
 


 
 
 
 
 

Also connected to Agrifortuna

Not only are Portollano and Hirene Lopez connected to OMNI and contributors to VP Binay’s campaign; they are also officers of the controversial Agrifortuna Inc. – the company that sold the alleged Binay Batangas farm to businessman Antonio Tiu. 

Lopez has been Agrifortuna’s Corporate Secretary since 2008, while Portollano has been the administrator since 2011.  

Binay’s camp said that the Vice President sold his piggery business to Agrifortuna in 2010, when he was elected Vice President.

VP Binay and his wife, former Makati City Mayor Elenita Binay, were incorporators of the company in 1992. The Binay couple said they divested themselves of Agrifortuna shares in 1995. 

“In 1995, or almost 20 years ago, the Vice President and his wife sold their interest in Agrifortuna to Laureano Gregorio,” said Martin Subido, Vice Presidential Legal Counsel.

Gregorio is currently a board member of Agrifortuna. He owns 97.04% of the company.

Tomas Lopez Jr. is also part of  Agrifortuna. He is the treasurer of the company, a post he has held since 2008.

“Si Tom Lopez and the Vice President go a long way,” Cavite Governor and VP Binay's spokesperson Jonvic Remulla said.

“Magkaibigan talaga silang dalawa. But wala namang abusive nature ang relationship nila. And kung titignan nyo lahat ng records, (Lopez) lives a relatively simple lifestyle. He’s never been suspected of anything else, other than being a good friend of the vice president.”

“He has very good view on housing and what needs to be done. The Vice President trusts his judgement,” Remulla added.

Aside from Portollano and Hirene Lopez, two other individuals from Agrifortuna contributed to the election campaign of VP Binay in 2010. Mindanilla Barlis and Lily Crystal gave P50,000 and P10,000, respectively.

Barlis is currently the chairman and president of Agrifortuna, while Crystal held the administrator post from 2008 until 2010.

GMA News tried to locate Portollano in her registered address but was informed by a resident that she no longer lives there.

Portallano, GMA News was told, only rented a room for four years before she left a year ago.—with reports from Sandra Aguinaldo, GMA News