Affirming the Printing Jurisdiction of the National Printing Office

August 13, 2009

MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 180

AFFIRMING THE PRINTING JURISDICTION OF THE NATIONAL PRINTING OFFICE

WHEREAS, Section 6 of Executive Order (EO) No. 285, issued on July 25, 1987, created the National Printing Office (NPO) out of the merger of the Government Printing Office and the relevant printing units of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA);

WHEREAS, the same Executive Order mandated that the NPO shall have exclusive jurisdiction over the following: (a) printing, binding and distribution of all standard and accountable forms of national, provincial, city and municipal governments, including government corporations; (b) printing of official ballots; (c) printing of public documents such as the Official Gazette, General Appropriations Act, Philippine Reports, and development information materials of the PIA;

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 378 was issued on October 25, 2004, amending Section 6 of EO 285 by removing the exclusive jurisdiction of the NPO over the printing service requirements of government agencies and instrumentalities under conditions provided therein, except in the printing of election paraphernalia which it could share with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas upon the discretion of the Commission on Elections, consistent with pertinent provisions of law; ACaDTH

WHEREAS, with respect to accountable forms with money value and other specialized accountable forms of the requisitioning office or agency, Memorandum Order No. 38, series 1998, prescribed specific guidelines in the contracting by the NPO of the printing services of accredited private security printers in order to effectively monitor and safeguard the quality and integrity of such accountable forms;

WHEREAS, election laws prescribe that official ballots and other accountable election forms shall be printed exclusively by the National Printing Office and/or the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas under proper security measures which the Commission shall provide;

WHEREAS, the General Appropriations Act requires government agencies and instrumentalities to secure the prior waiver of the NPO in engaging private printers for the printing of accountable forms;

WHEREAS, there is a need to consolidate the related provisions of laws and issuances in order to clarify the jurisdiction of the National Printing Office, as well as the procedures in the printing of government accountable forms, in order to efficiently and effectively accomplish the delivery of the public services; TSIDEa

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the power vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. General Mandate. — The National Printing Office (NPO) shall continue to be the primary and main provider of printing services to national, provincial, city and municipal governments, agencies and instrumentalities, including government corporations, as mandated by law, subject to the qualifications prescribed herein.

SECTION 2. Printing of accountable forms with money value and specialized accountable forms. The NPO shall have exclusive jurisdiction over the printing of accountable forms with money value and specialized accountable forms of the requisitioning office or agency, subject to the following guidelines:

a. All requisitions for the printing of accountable forms with money value and those which are specially designed for the agency's requirements shall be submitted to the NPO.

b. The NPO shall fill in the requisition and perform the printing job. If it is incapable of undertaking the job within thirty (30) days from submission, taking into consideration the target completion time of the requisitioning office, the NPO shall immediately conduct a public bidding to be participated in by NPO-accredited private security printers only, and the printing job shall be awarded in accordance with the relevant procurement law, rules and regulations. SCHTac

c. The printing of the requested forms shall be done under the strict control and supervision of the NPO and in the presence of its representative together with representatives from the Commission on Audit and from the requisitioning agency.

d. The NPO shall be the sole distributor of all the forms printed by the accredited security printers which will be paid by the NPO for the services they have rendered.

e. All flats, cuts and types used for the specific printing job shall be surrendered to the requisitioning office or agency after the completion of the printing job.

SECTION 3. Printing of official ballots and other accountable election forms. Official ballots and other accountable election forms and paraphernalia shall be printed exclusively by the National Printing Office and/or the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas under proper security measures which the Commission on Elections shall provide and other conditions prescribed by law; Provided That, if the NPO cannot meet the printing requirements of the Commission, it shall promptly issue the corresponding certification so that the latter may contract the services of private printers as provided by law.

SECTION 4. Other standard and accountable forms. With respect to the printing of official standard and accountable forms other than those specified under Sections 2 and 3 above, government agencies, instrumentalities and corporations may source their printing services outside the NPO provided that: TSHEIc

a. The printing services to be provided by the private sector is superior in quality and at a lower cost than that offered by the NPO, and

b. The private printing provider is flexible in terms of meeting the target completion time of the government agency

Provided further that, in tapping private providers in the printing of accountable and standard forms, government agencies, instrumentalities and corporations shall adhere to the guidelines and safeguards prescribed by the Director General of the Philippine Information Agency;

Provided, finally, that prior written waiver by the NPO should be secured by the requisitioning office before it commences the proper procedure in contracting the services of private printers; said waiver, if warranted, shall be promptly issued by the NPO, taking into consideration the target completion time of the requisitioning office.

SECTION 5. Public Documents. — The NPO retains exclusive printing jurisdiction over public documents such as the Official Gazette, General Appropriations Act, Philippine Reports, and development information materials of the Philippine Information Agency. SEcAIC

SECTION 6. Other Government Printing Jobs. — The NPO may also accept other government printing jobs, including government publications, aside from those enumerated above, but not in an exclusive basis.

SECTION 7. All executive issuances, orders, rules and regulations which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby revoked, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 8. This Circular shall take effect upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 13th day of August, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Nine.

Published in The Philippine Star on August 20, 2009.