towards Erika Mae P. Sinoaking
The government is set to implement major changes to the country’s contractor licensing system as it eliminates contractors from the Philippine Concrete Critical Board (PCAB) amid investigations into flood control projects, the commerce secretary said. Cristina A. Roque said on Wednesday.
Appearing as a resource person before the independent infrastructure commission (ICICE), Ms. Roque said the Board members and managing directors of Pecpines (CIAP) will be replaced.
“We are just waiting to be appointed,” Mr. Roque told a news conference.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), along with PCAB and CIAP, are also reviewing procedures and implementing changes to strengthen oversight, he said.
As part of the changes, PCAB Board members will no longer be allowed to own construction companies to prevent conflicts of interest.
“They must have a construction background, which means they could be engineers or part of construction companies,” explained Ms. Roque. “But they cannot have a construction company.”
The relatives of the Board members are also considered without obtaining licenses if they are found to be involved in any of the shares.
A fact-finding group, which Ms. Roque mentioned in September, was established within the DTI to review contractors involved in flood control projects and other anomalies, as well as new applicants. “We want the legal construction industry to follow these new rules so they don’t abuse their licenses,” he said.
The licenses will now be submitted to the DTI secretariat for examination before being issued by the PCAB. “Previously, the license went directly to the PCAB board. Now, the license will be forwarded to the Secretary’s office for examination, and from there we will give it to the PCAB Board,” he said.
Ms. Roque also said that the review of the cancellation of the licenses of about 15 contractors at the beginning is now in the “final stage,” Ms. Roque said in the same forum. While their names remain anonymous, the DTI and ICI confirmed their violations before taking legal action.
These 15 contracts were identified in the Presidential investigation, which revealed that they have P100 billion countries or 20% of the P545-billion budget, allocated for flood control projects starting in 2022.
Ms. Roque noted that, in addition to the top 15 contractors, there is an additional list of firms, which identified ICI during the hearing. He also noted that the department is still finalizing the information to ensure that all the information is accurate.
“We will not disclose the names of additional contractors who have suffered certain injuries, as we are still investigating ICI since ICI is really investigating this issue of flood control and contractors,” said Ms. Roque.
Go live
And on Wednesday, ICI said it would begin studying its process next week, following calls from the public to fine-tune its control over the scope of the counter.
“We will now be livestreaming next week if we get the technical support.” ICI Chairman Andres B. Reyes, Jr. he told the Senate committee on justice.
Since it was created by the President in September, ICI has kept its entire process behind closed doors. The independent body has only released press statements or cover-ups of the issues that have been made, led by ICI.
In the past, several legal vendors and civil society organizations have been called to the explanation that represents to be transparent in its progress, warning that any attempt to hide the evil that did not come close.
Business groups also called on the Marcos Administration to take immediate action against fraud, noting that the controversy could damage the confidence of investors and pose a serious threat to the country’s economy, governance and international standing.
“We will try our best to know the full extent of our investigation of all fraud,” said Mr. Reyes.
Judiciary Committee chairman Francisco Panginan welcomed ICI’s move as the panel shows the intent of the infrastructure investigator, under Senate Bill No. 1215.
“People would like to know the facts of these cases and would like to be updated on the development and progress of the investigation as it continues to address these public concerns,” it added.
The proposed measure seeks to create a Commission of Independent Persons to investigate all government infrastructure projects, in finding institutions that ICE has created in a large order.
Congressmen also welcomed the move as it would increase transparency and possibly help restore public confidence amid government uncertainty.
“Preventing the audience will help restore public trust and remove doubts about the justice of the investigation,” Las Pinas Rep. Mark Anthony G. Santos said in a statement.
The move will also act as a deterrent against political interference that can happen behind closed doors, Mr Santos said.
In a separate statement, a group of several lawmakers urged the public to remain vigilant, saying it may have been close to its previous negotiations.
At that time, Malacañaving dismissed as a private citizen’s letter urging the ICI to investigate the alleged ties between Lady Fire Marie Lauise Araneta-Marcos and businessman Maynard S. NGU.
In the forum, Claris Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said that the letter, filed by John Santander, has no evidence linking the first lady to flood control or certain ICI projects.
“From what we have read – and I know you are reading it too – there is nothing in the books of the emotions suspected of any unusual flood control projects linking the first lady, Liza Araneta-Marcos,” said the Philippines.
Ms. Castro also questioned the motive behind the complaint, suggesting that it could be an attempt to coordinate with Ms. Marcos.
“Is this just fishing and fishing meant to count madness first lady?” He said.
He added that Mr. NGu, a Tech Billionaire, is no longer the special envoy to China as his term expired in August.
Mr. Santander earlier this week asked ICI to quickly target the links between Ms. Marcos and Mr.
The opinion letter urged the ICI to look into irregularities involving flood control projects.
Also on Wednesday, Ms. Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, JR. He is yet to take the position of bringing back the death penalty in the Philippines and renewed the public’s frustration with the deception for the sake of deception.
Any year to propose the decades-long suspension of the Demotion Deplity would require “careful and thorough study,” he said, stressing that the country’s five pillars of the justice system must first be strengthened.
“We cannot simply restore the death penalty without making sure that our justice system is clean, good, and efficient,” working, cases made of fabricated evidence and wrongful convictions underscore the dangers of restoring this measure.
“The reinstatement of the death penalty should be read seriously.”
The Philippines abolished capital punishment in 2006 under then – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, making it the first Asian nation to do so in the 21st century.
Calls to restore it have resurfaced from time to time, mostly in response to crime and corruption scandals, but the measure has yet to gain traction in Congress.
The Philippines has been tied up in multibillion-peso public projects that include the terms of Mr. Marcos’ declaration last July, where he revealed to lawmakers that he was supposed to issue such projects. – and Adrian H. Halili, Kenneth Christiane L. Basilioagain Chloe Mari A. Hufana
