Lacson alleges P2M payment for contractor accreditation

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson alleged on Wednesday that the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) has been seeking payments as low as P2 million for the accreditation of private contractors involved in government projects.

Lacson made this allegation during a plenary session upon the interpellation of Senate Minority Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, who questioned how certain construction companies were accredited despite being allegedly blacklisted by the government.

In response to these allegations, PCAB issued a statement on Thursday asserting that their licenses are not for sale and assuring the integrity of their licensing system.

The board emphasized that it has not authorized any individual or group to guarantee contractor accreditation in exchange for money and encouraged contractors to deal only through official channels.

Lacson and Sotto agreed to press PCAB for answers during the next Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing scheduled on September 1, with Lacson expressing doubts about the integrity of the Department of Public Works and Highways monitoring system.