Senator Raffy Tulfo grilled officials of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) over the agency’s purchase of body-worn cameras priced at ₱879,000 each.
The procurement covered 191 units in 2020, with an additional 164 units acquired the following year.
Tulfo questioned the cost and the credibility of the supplier, noting that the same company had previously been flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) for delivering defective equipment in another transaction.
PPA General Manager Jay Santiago, however, defended the purchase, saying the total cost included other components necessary for nationwide deployment.
“Dumaan po ito sa regular na proseso at gaya ng ibang procurement ng PPA… [The unit cost] includes nationwide connectivity, backend servers, software, training, and system integration,” Santiago explained.
Tulfo then urged Department of Transportation (DOTr) Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez to investigate the matter and dismiss those found responsible for the questionable purchase.