CALBAYOG CITY-“I’d like to proudly announce that of the 27 depots in the whole country, the Calbayog Procurement Depot is the most beautiful of all.” Thus said Procurement Service Executive Director Estanislao Granados during the inauguration of the new depot building of Calbayog on July 4. Granados said that Calbayog depot should now be the standard for all depots nationwide where the support of the city government through the able leadership of Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino highly manifests in the building– with a tiles flooring, well-furnished, with droplights and signboards, among other features.
Granados, who is to retire from government service on July 21, however, assured that he would particularly ask his successor to include in his first agenda the Calbayog depot visit. He likewise promised to give a gift to Calbayog depot – an LED TV which he will get from his retirement pay, and of course, a continuing 100% support of PS to the Calbayog Depot.
To recall, the procurement service depot in Calbayog was opened on June 24, 2010 at the Calbayog Sports Center. It started as an obscure little store trying to compete with the established business enterprises in the city. Now, it grow big and competitive enough that many of the city government purchases for supplies are now made in this procurement depot, and even attracted a strong clientele from neighboring municipalities that made Calbayog depot the present top grosser in the whole region.
Department of Budget and Management Regional Director Imelda Laceras, concurrently the Procurement Service Supervisor for Region 8 was also in attendance during the Calbayog depot inauguration and likewise proudly announced that the total sales of Calbayog depot during the last two and a half years had reached to P16.8 million.
From said amount, a check amounting to P277,000 was handed over to Mayor Aquino by Granados and Laceras during the inauguration as city’s share in the PS operation.
The operation of depots is mandated under the Government Procurement Reform Act or RA 9184 and the Administrative Order #11 issued in 2011 by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino. These encourage LGUs to partner up with the Procurement Service and the DBM with the LGU provides the staff and area as its counterpart with the PS provides the goods and consignments and operating funds for running the depot. The DBM coordinates and supervises.
At the end every year, net profits are also divided three-way – to the LGU, to the DBM Regional Office and to the PS Central Office.
Prices of all goods and materials sold at the depots are at low prices. (AIMEE CATALAN/PR)
