Trade chief confirms PCAB resignations

Top officials of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) have resigned, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque confirmed on Thursday.

Those who stepped down were Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) Executive Director Atty. Herbert Matienzo and PCAB board members Engineers Arthur Escalante and Ernie Baggao.

Roque said Matienzo and Baggao resigned due to personal reasons, while Escalante’s three-year term expired in May 2025.

The PCAB’s last remaining official is its chairman, Pericles Dakay, the signatory of Resolution No. 075 that nullified the licenses of nine corporations owned by embattled couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, effective 1 September.

“He (Matienzo) resigned on 3 September, and I accepted his resignation on September 3 also. We already have a replacement for Matienzo, it’s a female. We will release an official statement on this. He also put in his resignation that he would cooperate if he were covered by the probe,” Roque told reporters in an ambush interview on Thursday in Taguig City.

Roque, now overseeing both PCAB and CIAP, said they are awaiting instructions from Malacañang before revealing Matienzo’s replacement, since PCAB board members are presidential appointees.

The two PCAB board members had been embroiled in allegations of blackmail and bribery for allegedly demanding P1 million in grease money from a contractor of a government project, as recently revealed by Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Further, Roque said they will intensify scrutiny of contractors with questionable deals, particularly those tied to flood control projects.

Earlier, the DTI said it would conduct a comprehensive review and release the full list of companies facing potential license revocation once Matienzo submits the necessary turnover documents.

“This review aims to uphold transparency and accountability following PCAB's board resolution revoking the licenses of nine construction firms owned by businesswoman Sarah Discaya. This also reflects DTI’s commitment to ensuring fair practices and protecting industry integrity in government procurement and licensing,” the DTI said.

Appeal welcomed

Meanwhile, Secretary Roque said the Discaya camp’s planned appeal on the revoked licenses is welcome.

“Everybody is allowed to file an appeal. But for us, we will stick to the PCAB recommendation. But I don’t know how the PCAB will decide whether their appeal will be given weight or not,” Roque said.

PCAB revoked the licenses of the nine Discaya-owned firms: St. Gerrard Construction Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corporation; Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corporation; St. Timothy Construction Corporation; Amethyst Horizon Builders and Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corp.; St. Matthew General Contractor & Development Corporation; Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor, Inc.; YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply, Inc.; Way Maker OPC; and Elite General Contractor and Development Corp.

Discaya’s legal counsel, Atty. Cornelio Samaniego III, on Thursday decried the cancellation of the accreditations of the nine firms that simultaneously bid for flood control projects worth over P30 billion.

Samaniego argued that PCAB’s revocation violated due process, saying the Discaya camp had requested 30 days to submit the necessary documents amid the board’s probe.

However, he said they were surprised that PCAB immediately revoked the firms’ contractor licenses.