A Budget assistant secretary and an Army general have been placed under preventive suspension for the alleged overpricing of combat boots in 2004.

The Ombudsman has ordered their six-month suspension along with 4 other Budget officials and an Army officer.

From the Budget Department are Assistant Secretary Eduardo Opida, Executive Director Estanislao Granados Jr., Director Lourdes Santiago, and Director Cirila Botor, all of the Inter-Agency Bids and Awards Committee of the Procurement Service, and, Esterlita Necor. From the Army are Brig. Gen. Ric Brillantes, commanding general of the Army Supply Command; and Editha Santos, chief accountant.

They were charged with violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; General Appropriations Act; Government Auditing Code of the Philippines; and Administrative Code of 1987.

The Ombudsman, in issuing their suspension order, said: ?Considering that the charges against respondent public officers involve dishonesty, grave misconduct and neglect in the performance of their duties which may warrant their removal from the service and the fact and the evidence adduced by complainant may sufficiently establish their guilt, there is a need for them to be preventively suspended while the case is pending.?

Records show that in April 2004, the bids committee asked bidders for the supply of 97,257 pairs of Army combat boots with an approved budget of P102.11 million.

But the Army requested only for 33,319 pairs of combat boots with an approved budget of P39.98 million.

Three bidders passed the Eligibility Requirement, Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal: Filboot Mfg. Corp., which offered P1,047/pair of boots; Gibson Shoe Factory, P1,038/pair; and Jodaar Cottage Industries, P993.50/pair.The committee awarded the contract to Filboot at P1,047/pair or a total amount of P32,864,283. Macon Ramos Araneta