Facebook Pixel Ping: Contractor licenses for sale | The Philippine Star - newspaper - Read this story on Magzter.com

Try GOLD - Free

Ping: Contractor licenses for sale

The Philippine Star

|

August 28, 2025

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.

MORE STORIES FROM The Philippine Star

The Philippine Star

DSWD: 259,979 trike drivers receive aid

Amid rising fuel prices, 259,979 tricycle drivers outside Metro Manila have received P5,000 in cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

time to read

1 min

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

The Philippine Star

WHEN ANTIBIOTICS FAIL: THE HIDDEN COST OF SELF-MEDICATION

When I recently returned to the clinic after a few weeks abroad, one of my patients came in for a followup, looking unusually pleased with himself.

time to read

4 mins

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

BBM suspends excise tax on LPG, kerosene

No word on diesel, gasoline; cool to VAT cut

time to read

3 mins

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

Phl says China boats dumping cyanide near Ayungin

Bottles recovered by the Philippine Navy from Chinese sampans operating near the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal have traces of cyanide, raising alarm over their intentional use by the Chinese to kill fish and destroy the marine environment, the National Security Council said yesterday.

time to read

2 mins

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

Rollback of domestic pump prices may be short-lived

Amid an implied threat of legal action, oil companies are complying with the government-calculated rollback this week despite the country's law barring fuel price regulation.

time to read

2 mins

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

Jonvic apologizes for 'war on drunks, shirtless men'

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has apologized for lapses in enforcing the “Safer Cities” initiative targeting drunks and shirtless men on the streets.

time to read

1 min

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

Struggling readers in Pasay down by 97.5% – DepEd

The Department of Education School Division of Pasay has cited an improvement in the number of struggling readers in the city as DepEd reported a 97.5-percent reduction based on the end-of-school-year assessment.

time to read

1 min

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

Agri groups nix proposals to slash tariffs on meat, corn

Farmers’ groups yesterday urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to block proposals that would bring down tariffs on chicken, pork and corn to zero, noting that this move would hurt local producers.

time to read

1 mins

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

The Philippine Star

158 malls save over P200 M on power costs

Some 158 malls across the country generated over P200 million in electricity savings after adjusting their operations amid the global oil crisis, according to the Department of Energy.

time to read

1 min

April 14, 2026

The Philippine Star

The Philippine Star

3-day transport strike set this week

Transport group Manibela will mount a three-day nationwide strike that will coincide with the government's rollout of the service contracting program this week.

time to read

2 mins

April 14, 2026

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size