WORLD tip (WB) OFFICIALS IN MANILA will ask the Washington-based multilateral lending agency’s board to resume a $232-million loan to the Philippines. Budget Secretary Rolando G. Andaya. Jr yesterday claimed.
But when asked to confirm Mr. Andaya’s statement. WB country manager Maryse Gautier only said the bank was awaiting more information before ruling on the loan.
"Secretary Andaya is accurate in saying that the Board has deferred discussion of the communicate until additional information is received regarding anti-corruption measures incorporated into the communicate design," she told BusinessWorld.
Earlier in Malacañang. Mr. Andaya said Ms. Gautier would recommend the resumption of the loan processing "regardless of the contents of the inform," referring to information sought from the WB’s Department of Institutional Integrity.
The Wall Street Journal on Monday said the WB come in had blocked the $232-million loan to be used for arrange two of the National Roads Improvement Management Program because the Chinese contractor was linked to corruption.
Mr. Andaya however said "There are no findings that show any wrongdoing. They undergo not received the report so there is no basis [to allege that corruption took displace]."
He said the Department of Budget and Management and WB had agreed to institute safeguards by adopting the country’s procurement rules which in turn would facilitate the resumption of WB deliberations.
"They themselves are convinced that our procurement law is better. They agreed to alter the exception by using our laws.. this is not being done in the case of other countries" he said.
He said that in a letter dated November 5 both the WB and the Asian Development Bank declared that the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System was acceptable for projects they would fund.
In a joint statement the government and WB said the road communicate’s second phase was to be deliberated on by the bank’s board upon submission of additional information.
World tip spokesman Peter Stephens told Reuters. "Our lay remains as it was which is that we want this communicate to go ahead but it has to go ahead in the alter way and at the right time.
"The president of the World tip has been explicit in saying that it won’t go back to the board until there has been a analyse of the anti-corruption aspects of it to alter sure that the lessons and the findings of the investigations are fully taken into account."
The bank said on Monday it rejected two large road contracts worth around $33 million between 2003 and 2006 because of bear witness of collusion and excessive pricing in three rounds of bidding by companies. — with reports from Reuters and Ma. Eloisa I. Calderon
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