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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DTI to conduct review after PCAB revokes licenses of Discaya-owned firms

DTI to conduct review after PCAB revokes licenses of Discaya-owned firms

Published Sep 3, 2025 08:44 pm
DTI Secretary Cristina Roque (DTI photo)
DTI Secretary Cristina Roque (DTI photo)
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will review and release the full list of companies facing potential license revocation after the former Executive Director of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) submits the necessary turnover documents.
In a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 3, DTI said the review, which aims to uphold transparency and accountability, follows the revocation of the licenses of nine construction firms owned by businesswoman Sarah Discaya.
The DTI said the agency is committed to ensuring fair practices and protecting industry integrity in government procurement and licensing.
On Wesdnesday, PCAB announced that it revoked the licenses of the nine companies after Discaya admitted during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing that the firms had bid against each other for a government contract.
Discaya, a former Pasig City mayoral candidate and resource person in a Senate probe into anomalous flood control projects, revealed her ownership and control over the nine firms that engaged directly with the government.
She told lawmakers that these firms participated in bidding for the same infrastructure project.
PCAB cited Discaya’s admission as the basis for its decision. The board said that Discaya’s statement raises the presence of collusion in what should be a competitive process, noting that the scheme employed stifles or suppresses the outcome of procurement activity.
The board added that the admission establishes a scheme of joint or multiple bidding participation designed to influence the outcome of public bidding, manipulate results, and corner public projects. This is in violation of procurement laws and licensing requirements.
The Discaya-owned companies that had their licenses revoked include St. Gerrard Construction Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corp., Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corp., St. Timothy Construction Corp., Amethyst Horizon Builders and Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corp., St. Matthew General Contractor & Development Corp., Great Pacific Builders And General Contractor Inc., YPR General Contractor And Construction Supply Inc., Way Maker OPC, and Elite General Contractor And Development Corp.
The board will remove these firms from its registry of duly licensed contractors and issue notices of revocation.
PCAB, an attached agency of the DTI, said removing the licenses is critical to upholding public interest, industry integrity, and government procurement transparency.
It will also raise the issue with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine potential criminal liability.
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