IT’S official. Three major Philippine gun dealers namely the Armaments Unlimited, Inc. representing Pietro Beretta, Trust Trade representing Glock and R. Espineli Trading representing Jericho have asked President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, an avid gun enthusiast to order the continued bidding and testing of their pistols which were stopped following the disqualification of the lowest-priced gun being sold by a company owned by a kin of former First Gentleman Jose Miguel T. Arroyo.

Claiming that the Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor) owned by former FG Arroyo’s first cousin Bolo Tuason is being given a preferential treatment by the Department of Interior and Local Government, the three gun companies represented by Neta Bongco, Joselyn Gutierrez-Jose and Reynaldo Espineli wrote a letter to the President asking him to order the continuation of the endurance testing of the weapons they have offered to sell to the Philippine National Police in the wake of a controversial decision by the DILG to stop the bidding process following the disqualification of the Tanfoglio pistol being offered for sale by Armscor.

Here is their letter to the President:

We, Armaments Unlimited, Inc. in joint venture with Fabbrica D’ Armi Pietro Beretta, Trust Trade in joint venture with Glock and R. Espineli Trading in joint venture with IMI-Jericho, the three remaining complying bidders for the Supply and Delivery of 12,368 units of caliber 9mm pistol to the Philippine National Police (Public Bidding No. PNP-11-24G) respectfully brings to your attention the premature and unjust termination of the bid process.

The cancellation of the process was told us immediately after the lowest complying bidder-the joint venture of Armscor and Tanfoglio-failed the post-qualification test and evaluation.

The reason given for the cancellation of the bid process was that the 2010 budget would revert back to the national treasury at the end of 2011. To save the funds, an Agency Procurement Request would be forwarded by the PNP to the DBM Procurement Service where a re-bid will take place from scratch. This was announced to us by the DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order (Usec. Rico E. Puno) when he called us to a luncheon meeting on January 6, 2012.

This, however becomes doubtful considering that the PNP Bids and Awards Committee conducted the bidding itself on November 22, 2011, when it was already close to the end of 2011. Prior to this, we were assured by both the PNP-BAC and the Office of the DILG-USPO that they already secured the approval of the DBM Secretary regarding this fund that would stay with the PNP even into the year 2012.

What brings further question is that Armscor/Tanfoglio, which already failed the testing, will once again be able to join in the re-bid. All these happened after curiously, Armscor/Tanfoglio’s post-qualification of documents, which began on November 23, 2011, was only completed on December 20, 2011. Its pistol then underwent the post-qualification test and evaluation.

During the endurance test of Tanfoglio, it failed to fire on the 14,451st round. Under the test parameters set for this bidding, failure to fire is considered ‘critical’ and results in failure and disqualification of the bidder.

However, the PNP Technical Working Group considered the incident to only be ‘major’ and did not fail the pistol. It allowed Armscor to open and repair the pistol. The endurance test continued. On the 16,104th round, the pistol failed to fire again. The TWG again allowed Armscor to open and repair their pistol. However, after another 50 rounds were fired, the pistol could no longer fire.

The TWG ONCE again allowed the opening of the Tanfoglio pistol, and we noted that the trigger pin was broken. Armscor technicians apparently tried to replace this with the safety pin and with the locking block pin, in violation of the test parameters. The TWG announced a stop to the testing, informing us that the matter will be brought to the BAC for decision.

We now respectfully appeal to you in the interest of fairness in the conduct of this bidding. With your directive, the cancelled bidding and consequent testing of the 3 remaining complying bidders may be reinstated. To have a new bid gives undue advantage to other proponents who did not qualify considering our bid prices were already revealed; and particularly, for Armscor whose product already failed to be able to bid again.

Currently, we are at a loss on what to tell our foreign principals. Circumstances surrounding this bidding point to preference being given to an already disqualified bidder.

All we seek is fair treatment and transparency. Whoever wins after a fair and transparent conduct of bidding will be respected.

Thank you for your kind attention on this matter.

Signed: Neta Bongco/Joselyn Gutierrez-Jose/Reynaldo Espineli.

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This corner learned that amid a promise by Usec. Puno that they will make sure that the PNP will have the ‘weapon with the utmost best quality and most competitive price,’  Armscor submitted the  lowest bid of P16,969 per Tanfoglio unit.

The chair of the PNP Bids and Awards Committee, PNP deputy chief for administration, Deputy Director General Benjamin A. Belarmino Jr. explained that the PNP should object if the same Tanfolgio Force 99 will be submitted for bidding by Armscor. He also said that what he sees right now is the possibility that the DILG-PNP might lose its credibility to both foreign and local gun proponents with the way it called for a bidding which did not materialize to the consternation of the other bidders.

Apart from Tanfoglio Force 99, the other guns supposed to be tested by the DILG-Napolcom-PNP are the following: Beretta PX4 pistol at a price of P18,200 each submitted by the Armaments Unlimited Inc.; Glock 17 at a price of P18,900 submitted by Trust Trade Phils.; and Jericho 941 at a price of P22,680 each pistol submitted by Israeli Military Industries and its local partner Espinelli Trading. A fifth bidder representing the CZ brand of firearms was disqualified for lack of documents.

The proponents described as ‘premature and unjust’ the DILG decision to terminate the bidding process after the Tanfoglio pistol was disqualified for failing the 20,000 firing test and after each of them have paid for the bid documents, spent substantial amount for the security bond as well as the 20,000 rounds of ammunition (around P400,000) needed for the firing test and most of all, qualified for the bidding.

The ball is now entirely in the hands of the President.