PRESS RELEASE
08 June 2026
Ombudsman conducts Anti-Competitive Practices in Public Infrastructure Procurement workshop
QUEZON CITY, Philippines —True to its commitment to capacity building and strengthening investigation skills, the Office of the Ombudsman conducted a Seminar-Workshop on Anti-Competitive Practices in Public Infrastructure Procurement last May 28–29, 2026 at the Ombudsman Central Office in Quezon City.
The activity was attended by 240 Ombudsman investigators, lawyers, and prosecutors from area and sectoral offices nationwide.
Participants from the Visayas and Mindanao offices joined via video teleconferencing.
Resource speakers from the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) namely Atty. Christian Loren B. De Los Santos, Director IV, and Atty. Genevieve E. Jusi, Director III conducted the seminar-workshop and led discussions on the Philippine Competition Act.
Heavily tackled were topics like bid rigging detection and investigation, red flags in procurement documents, case studies, and practical approaches in identifying anti-competitive conduct in the procurement process.
“Public procurement is never just paperwork. Behind every bid document, every contract, every line item — there are communities waiting for roads, bridges, and infrastructure that will actually change their lives,” Assistant Ombudsman for Internal Affairs Luigi Bonoan said.
Participants were encouraged to put into action their learnings from the workshop.
“Alam nating lahat na ang pagtukoy ng red flags at ang pag-unawa sa mga indikasyon ng collusion ay hindi biro. It takes patience, precision, and most importantly — courage. When we do our jobs with vigilance and integrity, that’s not a small thing. That is governance working the way it should,” Bonoan added.
The seminar-worshop was designed to strengthen the Office’s technical capacity in identifying, reviewing, and evaluating procurement documents for possible indicators of collusion, bid rigging, and other corruption-related irregularities in public infrastructure projects.
Through this initiative, the Office of the Ombudsman reaffirms its commitment to faithfully carrying out its constitutional mandate to investigate and prosecute acts of graft and corruption and promote accountability in public service. #
Text and Photos: National Integrity Center
