National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago yesterday revealed that two construction firms awarded the P2.5 billion contract to build a new NBI headquarters in Manila are both owned by the Discaya family.

Santiago made the disclosure during a press conference on Wednesday, raising concerns over possible conflicts of interest in the awarding of the contract.

“The NBI building, it was torn down to build a new one. We asked for an initial budget of P2.5 billion through the DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways]. The DPWH held the bidding for the contractors. But I forgot the names of the contractors, but two construction companies are both Discaya-owned properties,” he said.

The NBI chief stressed he has ordered a thorough investigation, noting the possible risks of substandard materials.

“So now we will include and investigate that… We are investigating other people’s homes, but our own house has a problem, too. I’m not saying there was a scam, but then we are investigating… what if our building will not be completed because of substandard steel, and if an earthquake happens, our building might collapse. We will investigate this thoroughly,” Santiago added.

Santiago further disclosed irregularities in the bidding of several Department of Public Works and Highways flood control projects. He said a probe conducted in coordination with the Securities and Exchange Commission uncovered collusion among contractors.

The investigation showed that as many as eight of the 15 contractors who secured the bulk of the budget for the projects shared common officers and directors, indicating a deliberate scheme to manipulate the process and secure government deals.

While Santiago declined to identify the companies and individuals implicated, he said the government’s priority now is to dismantle the fraudulent networks and recover misused public funds.