Ping: Contractor licenses for sale

The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) is in the crosshairs of a Senate probe for allegedly selling contractor licenses for millions of pesos to blacklisted construction firms and those linked to anomalies and ghost projects.

- By NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

This was according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, in response to queries from Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III, saying his office had received complaints from private contractors that they had been offered PCAB accreditation for around P2 million, which also covers bank certifications and other requirements.

Sotto pressed Lacson on why companies tied to controversies — including Alpha and Omega and St. Timothy Construction — continued to secure licenses. President Marcos earlier named the two companies as among the 15 most favored contractors. He noted that despite tax cases and blacklisting issues, these firms operated under interconnected ownership structures.

Sotto said a company owned by a single individual or family would submit documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) showing multiple ownership.