ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Conflict of interest': Lacson tells DTI, CIAP to file raps vs 2 PCAB members who bagged gov't contracts

'Conflict of interest': Lacson tells DTI, CIAP to file raps vs 2 PCAB members who bagged gov't contracts

Published Aug 30, 2025 11:58 am  |  Updated Aug 30, 2025 04:12 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson urged the DTI and CIAP to investigate and file charges against two PCAB members for alleged conflict of interest and corruption, as he cited evidence that they secured government contracts through their construction firms while holding regulatory positions.
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson has called for an immediate investigation and filing of the necessary criminal and administrative charges against at least two members of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) for overlapping and conflicting positions as owners of construction companies while serving as members of the board and bagging government contracts.
Senator Panfilo
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson (Senate PRIB photo)
Lacson made the call to both the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP).
Lacson raised this issue as he exposed the apparent conflict of interest of at least two board members - Engineers Erni Baggao and Arthur Escalante.
"Paging PCAB - Instead of an outright denial, you should at least look into allegations against your own people’s improper conduct. Aside from reports of corruption in your ranks, there is potential conflict of interest involving your 2 board directors in violation of RA 6713," Lacson said in a post on X.
He noted public records show both Baggao and Escalante signed contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as presidents of their own construction companies for government projects, while sitting on the PCAB.
Baggao was reappointed for a three-year term as PCAB member in September 2023, while remaining as an authorized managing officer of EGB Construction, a contractor for government projects. Escalante, meanwhile, while sitting as board director of PCAB, is the owner of A.N. Escalante Construction Inc.
The PCAB's duties include limiting the operations of constructors to the bounds of their classifications and/or restrictions; and investigating violations of the law. Baggao and Escalante thus had an undue advantage over other contractors, as they could investigate potential rivals or even suspend or revoke their licenses.
On the other hand, Section 9 of RA 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials, decrees that a public official "shall avoid conflicts of interest at all times" and when a conflict of interest arises, he shall "resign from his position in any private business enterprise 30 days from his assumption of office, and/or divest himself of shareholdings or interest within 60 days from such assumption".
Under Section 7 of RA 6713, public officials during their incumbency shall not own, control, or manage any private enterprise regulated or licensed by their office; nor engage in the private practice of their profession.
Violations of Sections 7 to 9 of RA 6713 shall be punishable with imprisonment of up to five years, and/or a fine of up to P5,000 - and possible disqualification from public office.
Records since 2024 of the PCAB showed Baggao was a signatory to the regular contractor's licenses issued by the PCAB as one of its board members. But during this same time, DPWH records showed he was a signatory to contract agreements with the DPWH, as president of EGB Construction.
Meanwhile, records also showed Escalante penned and signed a message in the PCAB's 2022 annual report as one of the agency's board members, while signing a contract with the DPWH on May 20, 2022, on behalf of A.N. Escalante Construction Inc., a company based in Davao City.
Earlier, Lacson cited information reaching him that the PCAB is involved in “accreditation for sale", based on information given to him by private contractors who said the PCAB will take care of the paperwork, for at least P2 million.
PCAB immediately issued a statement denying the reports reaching Lacson’s office while claiming such activities were the work of scammers, but the senator said it still has to explain how some contractors got their accreditation after paying up.
"Instead of an outright denial to project themselves as 'lily-white' and 'pure as the driven snow,' the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) should at least look into allegations against their own people’s improper conduct," Lacson said.
In an interview on Usapang Senado over DWIZ, Lacson shared that Senate Minority Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III told him that President Marcos will look into this.

Related Tags

ping lacson Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.