MANILA, Oct. 20 -- Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Monday warned contractors and suppliers that long-practiced tricks and shady schemes in government bidding would no longer work under the newly enacted New Government Procurement Act (NGPA).

"Style n'yo bulok (Your tricks are rotten)," Pangandaman said, referring to schemes such as "palit-ulo" (head swapping), "palit-pangalan" (name change) and the use of dummy company owners.

"The shady dummy bidding schemes in government projects will no longer get through under the NGPA," she added.

A key provision of Republic Act No. 12009, signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in July 2024, requires full disclosure of "beneficial ownership", revealing the true individuals who own or c...