DTI revamps CIAP, PCAB amid 'accreditation for sale' allegations

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque has appointed Doris Gacho and engineer Sergie Retome as acting executive directors for the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) and the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), respectively.

These appointments are part of a major revamp and aim to ensure operational continuity during the ongoing changes.

The revamp follows allegations of an 'accreditation for sale' scheme at PCAB, which the agency had previously denied.

Former PCAB executive director Herbert Matienzo resigned amid these allegations, and other PCAB board members have also stepped down or had their terms expire.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to conduct a sweeping revamp at PCAB.

Secretary Roque stressed that these designations are part of the department's efforts to 'clean up and revamp both agencies'.

She is also in the process of recommending new PCAB Board members to President Marcos.

Roque has placed both CIAP and PCAB under her direct supervision and established an Oversight and Fact-Finding Management Team within the DTI to handle investigations into PCAB licensing issues.