Sotto seeks PCAB overhaul

Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Tuesday urged Congress to amend the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) and the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) Law.

This followed revelations about the questionable ownership structures of several construction companies linked to spouses Pacifico and Cezarah Rowena Discaya, as cited in CTA Case No. 10472, St. Timothy Construction Corporation versus Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Records showed these corporations are owned, operated, and represented by Pacifico Discaya, Cezarah “Sarah” Rowena Discaya, Pacifico Discaya II, Ma. Roma Angeline Rimando and Darryl Mark Pesigal, the latter three relatives or employees of the Discayas.

The PCAB affirmed this constituted a material misrepresentation in corporate ownership and registration.

Sotto raised concerns about the difficulty of pursuing accountability since the companies used multiple addresses. “Where will they be pursued if different addresses are used?” he said.

He said some contractors dodged the safeguards by simply setting up new firms or sole proprietorships whenever their licenses were denied, thus exploiting loopholes to stay in the game.

PCAB executive director Herbert Matienzo confirmed the practice may fall under material misrepresentation.

On Monday, senators grilled Discaya who admitted that all her construction firms simultaneously bid on the same projects.

Sotto stressed the need for stronger powers, tighter coordination, and clearer enforcement measures across the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Trade and Industry to stop the abuses.

“We are hoping this will precisely be the result of the committee investigation — the legislation we need with PCAB, we need to overhaul PCAB,” he said.