By Jeffrey Damicog

An employee of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for having shared confidential files concerning the purchase of medicines, medical supplies and medical equipment in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

NBI Officer-In-Charge Director Eric Distor identified the arrested person as Manuel Silva, who works for the DBM’s Procurement Service (DBM-PS).

Distor said Silva was arrested at his office at the DBM-PS in Manila last April 16 by agents of the NBI’s Special Action Unit (NBI-SAU).

Following his arrest, Avila was presented for inquest before the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila for violating Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; RA 9184, the Government Procurement Reform Act; Republic Act 10173, Data Privacy Act of 2012; and RA 11469, the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, in relation to RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The NBI chief said the arrest was based on the complaint made by the DBM-PS a day before the arrest.

Due to the enforcement of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) measures, the DBM-PS created a Google Drive account that can be accessed by the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) in the ongoing emergency bidding for the procurement of of personal protective equipment (PPE), medicines, medical supplies, and medical equipment needed by the government in its fight against COVID-19.

“On April 6, 2020, while uploading the Market Survey in the Google Drive Account, a member of the Price Monitoring Team discovered that a certain Dennis Chua was seen to have accessed and viewed all the shared files in the Google Drive Account,” the NBI said, citing the complaint.

“Upon review of the Google Drive, it showed that on March 18, 2020, subject Engr. Manuel S. Silva was the one who granted access of the shared files in the Google Drive Account to Dennis Chua, without consent from his superiors or from the head of the Procurement Service, and surreptitiously shared or disseminated the files, data, and information therein to Dennis Chua,” the NBI added.

The NBI noted that Chua is neither a member of the SBAC and an employee of the DBM-PS.

The NBI arrested Avila after he admitted to agents that he did not know that the files he shared with Chua were confidential.