Philippine President Fidel Ramos on Wednesday scrapped a deal to supply him and his cabinet with a computer system and ordered the project re-bid. The $7.3m contract, called Topweb, had been awarded to Philippine company Strategic Solutions Integrators Inc over bids by US competitors including AT&T Corp, IBM Corp and Apple Computer Inc. A presidential committee set up to investigate alleged irregularities in the project had recommended the entire process be canceled as the bidding process has been seriously compromized. Ramos said he also ordered the sacking of the National Computer Center managing director Fermin Javier and an investigation into his involvement in the process. The Topweb project was intended to connect the president and his cabinet with the Internet and video conferencing facilities, establish a Presidential Information System and offer decision support.
