Contractor licenses ‘not for sale,’ says contractors accreditation board (2025)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) stated that its “licenses are not for sale” amid claims of alleged “irregularities in licensing and accreditation of contractors.”

“The Board has not authorized any individual, group or third-party consultant to act on its behalf or to guarantee contractor accreditation in exchange for money,” PCAB said in a statement on Thursday.

According to PCAB, it is conducting investigations on “individuals and entities misrepresenting themselves as PCAB personnel or offering “shortcuts” for a fee” on social media.

PCAB reminded the public and contractors to deal with the board only through its official channels, and to be vigilant in the transactions.

“Any suspicious offers or misrepresentations should be reported to the Board so that appropriate action may be taken,” it said.

The organization also vowed to “fully cooperate with any investigation” in relation to contractor accreditations.

READ: Lacson bares PCAB accreditation scheme for private contractors

The statement from PCAB came after Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson claimed that the board had a payment scheme in exchange for contractor accreditation.

Lacson, during the Senate plenary session late Wednesday night, said he had talked with private contractors who allegedly “had this experience of being offered accreditation by PCAB that it will take care of the other certificates and requirements for a fee. I think it was around P2 million to start with.”

He questioned how one of the contractors that was granted an accreditation managed to handle P1 billion worth of projects with only P200,000 capital three years prior.

“In 2019, MG Samidan’s paid-up capital was only P250,00… Come 2022, how is it possible that their financial capacity increased to undertake billions worth of projects?” Lacson asked.

MG Samidan Construction and Development Corp. took up 58 flood control projects from September 2022 to March 2025, based on the Sumbong sa Pangulo website.

All 58 projects amounting to P5,022,689,756.92 were constructed within five provinces: Abra, Mountain Province, Benguet, Pangasinan, and La Paz.

The senator then also claimed that the board had been “tainted with corruption” in relation to the alleged ghost flood control projects currently being probed into in the Senate.

READ: Senate subpoenas contractors who snubbed blue ribbon committee hearing

In early August, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revealed that only 15 out of 2,409 accredited contractors were awarded the P100 billion budget for flood mitigation projects from July 2022 to May 2025.

The spotlight on infrastructure projects, particularly those involving flood control, came after President Marcos Jr., in his fourth State of the Nation Address, condemned government officials and contractors who allegedly earned kickbacks.

Marcos said these officials and contractors should be ashamed of themselves.

His condemnation came after Lacson warned that half of the country’s almost P2 trillion funds from 2011 for flood control projects may have been lost already — necessitating a thorough review of the projects. /apl /das