Trader from Cebu cries foul over capitol bidding for supply of heavy equipment

By NITZ ARANCON, Correspondent

A BUSINESS executive from Cebu has questioned a capitol decision to disqualify his company from selling brand new heavy equipment to the provincial government, claiming he would have been the lowest bidder.

In a three-page protest businessman Leon Tio, presidente of the Cebu-based TKC Heavy Industries Corp., said his offer for the supply of heavy equipment was P170 million, much lower than the winning bid.

He said the winning bidder, Qishu Heavy Equipment Corp., offered P182.020 million.

Tio said his offer was rejected because he submitted documents about his firm’s record of supplying heavy equipment for an asphalt batching plant in Paranaque city when the capitol was looking for heavy equipment for road construction and maintenance.

But Tio argued that the heavy equipment were the same.

Tio said Misamis Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano upheld the BAC’s decision and dismissed his protest in July 17.

Emano cited the opinion of the officer-in-charge of the Provincial Engineer’s Office “that heavy equipment such as bulldozers, dump trucks boom trucks, lowbed trailer, among others, are list of major equipment for road construction, rehabilitation, improvement and maintenance works. Whereas asphalt batching plant is apparently not an equipment for road construction, rehabilitation, improvement, and maintenance works but produces product as a component in road paving/sealing only.”