Transparency pays for Malaybalay City
The city of Malaybalay in Bukidnon province has shown that competitive and transparent bidding of infrastructure projects and purchases does not only prevent corruption, but also generates big savings to benefit its constituents.
Mayor Jay Warren Pabillaran, a lawyer who is now on his second term as local chief executive, said the local government generated a total of P361.87 million in savings since 2022 from procurement activities by making transparent the conduct of public bidding as prescribed by law.
He credits the live-streamed sessions every Wednesday of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) for making the procurement activities for infrastructure, goods and services truly competitive, hence attracting offers that give the local government options that are financially favorable.
Pabillaran, the son of civil servants, instituted live-streamed biddings immediately after assuming office in July 2022 to regain public trust by allowing residents to monitor procurement in real time.
He added that true competition among bidders helped reduce costs without compromising project quality.
Constituents’ benefits
From mid-2022 to the end of 2024, the city government recorded P241.92 million in savings, P106.5 million in infrastructure projects and P135.42 million in goods and services.
For 2025, the city government undertook 3,207 procurement activities worth P974.91 million and achieved P119.95 million in savings, or 12.4 percent of the total cost.
City officials said the savings will be redirected to priority programs and essential public services.
Addressing procurement concerns in 2025, Pabillaran clarified that infrastructure projects and purchases exceeding P1 million are subject to public bidding, while those below the threshold may be procured through alternative modes, such as canvassing as allowed by law.
He stressed that both modes are reviewed by the BAC to ensure transparency and value for money.
City legal officer Julius Michael Barroso, who heads the BAC secretariat, said they are strictly following the framework and methods of Republic Act No. 12009, or the New Government Procurement Act.
As an example, Barroso pointed to the ongoing P16.9-million warehouse project, where competing bids and discounts resulted in significant cost reductions.
Other big-ticket projects with significant savings included the construction of a new public market with an approved budget of P50 million but fetched a winning tender of P37 million, and a road construction with a budget of P27.6 million and a winning bid of P20.1 million.
Barroso assured the public that project quality has not been affected, citing strict monitoring by the city’s engineering team.
