PCSO’S TRANSFER TO A NEW SITE UPHELD BY THE COURT

PCSO Statement on Office Transfer

Branch 209 of the National Capital Judicial Region Regional Trial Court (RTC), in its May 16, 2014 ORDER, upheld the PCSO Board of Director’s decision to transfer the agency’s main office from the PICC to the Sun Plaza Property in Mandaluyong.

The Sweepstakes Employees Union (SEU), in a one-page open letter to President Aquino placed at the
May 23, 2014 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, assailed the propriety and the wisdom of the PCSO Board’s decision to transfer the agency’s main office from PICC to Sun Plaza, alleging that it would be a waste of public funds- “malaking aksaya ng pera”- and disadvantageous not only to PCSO’s clients -”isalba ang mga pasyente sa dusa”- but to its employees as well.

Contrary to the SEU’s allegation, RTC Branch 209 Executive Judge Monique Quisumbing-Ignacio, in denying the SEU’s application for a 72-hour temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the implementation of the PCSO Board’s decision to transfer the PCSO main office from PICC to the Sun Plaza Property, in effect, sustained the validity and necessity of the said transfer.

The Court’s denial of the SEU’s application for TRO was on the following grounds: Plaintiff SEU did not exhaust all remedies before resorting to judicial proceedings; the transfer of the PCSO Office in Pasay was precipitated by the expiration of the lease contract with the PICC; the PCSO Board’s confirmation and approval of the Bids and Award Committee resolution recommending to procure, by way of lease through negotiated procurement due to the very limited time left for the PCSO to locate a possible transfer site that is readily available for occupancy, was compliant with and pursuant to Section 53.2 of the IRR of RA 9184 or Government Procurement Reform Act.

The PCSO Board’s decision to transfer the agency’s main office from the PICC had been approved by the Office of the President last November 2013 for the reason that PCSO’s lease contract with the PICC had already expired and because PICC is undergoing major renovations in preparation for the APEC summit meeting in 2015.

PCSO assures the general public, especially its patrons and clients, that the transfer to its new office at the Sun Plaza property in Mandaluyong will make the agency’s services more accessible to more people and will not in any way affect or disrupt its operations.