The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) has revoked the licenses of nine construction companies owned by contractor Sarah Discaya after she admitted that the firms had been bidding against each other for a lucrative government contract.

In a board resolution made public on Wednesday, Sept. 3, PCAB cited Discaya’s admission during the recent hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee as the basis for its decision.

Discaya, an invited resource person during a Senate probe into anomalous flood control projects, revealed that she has ownership and control over nine construction firms that directly engaged with the government.

The construction executive, who rose to popularity after running for and later losing the Pasig City mayoral race, told lawmakers that these firms had participated in bidding for the same infrastructure project.

PCAB, which is also embroiled in controversy, said Discaya’s statement raise the presence of collusion in what should be a competitive, but fair, bidding process.

“Employing schemes which stifle or suppress the outcome of the procurement activity in violation of licensing and procurement laws,” said PCAB.

“Such admission establishes a scheme of joint or multiple bidding participation designed to influence the outcome of public bidding, manipulate results and corner public projects thereby undermining transparency, fairness, and competition in violation of procurement laws and licensing requirements,” it added.

PCAB said these Discaya-owned companies 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., and St. Matthew General Contractor & Development Corp.

Also included are Great Pacific Builders And General Contractor Inc., YPR General Contractor And Construction Supply Inc., Way Maker OPC, and Elite General Contractor And Development Corp.

PCAB, the agency responsible for accrediting contractors, said removing the licenses of these companies are critical to uphold public interest, industry integrity, and government procurement transparency.

Based on its resolution, the board will remove the said firms from its registry of duly licensed contractors, alongside the issuance of notices of revocation.

It will also raise this issue before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine potential criminal liability.

PCAB, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), is an accrediting body that ensures only qualified contractors operate, especially in government infrastructure projects.

Under the Contractors’ License Law, no contractor—including sub-contractor and specialty contractor—must engage in the business of contracting without first having secured a PCAB license to conduct business.

PCAB has been entangled in the ongoing crackdown into substandard flood control projects following reports that contractors linked to violations are still accredited to build for the government.

The board was also accused of undertaking an “accreditation for sale” scheme, in which it supposedly requires contractors to pay up to ₱2 million in exchange for license renewal.