Senator Win Gatchalian has urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to impose a permanent ban on all shareholders, incorporators, and officials of companies involved in “ghost” and substandard government infrastructure projects.
The DTI supervises the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), which is tasked with registering and regulating contractors across the country.
“Napakadaling gumawa ng korporasyon dito, at pare-pareho lang ang mga shareholder. Ang suggestion ko, i-ban ang mga shareholder at incorporator. Mag-i-incorporate na naman sila at papalitan lang ang pangalan ng kumpanya. Dapat hindi na sila sumali sa mga proyekto ng gobyerno,” Gatchalian said during a budget hearing for the DTI’s proposed 2026 allocation.
He explained that the PCAB should follow a similar policy to that of the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB), which already extends blacklisting sanctions to include shareholders and relatives of companies involved in questionable government bidding practices.
The GPPB serves as the central agency responsible for crafting procurement policies for public projects.
“Kailangan nating parusahan ang mga supplier at kontratista na ito. Kahit parusahan sila ng PCAB, nakakaya pa rin nilang sumali sa iba pang mga kontrata ng gobyerno, kasama na ang mga proyekto ng pagsu-supply. Kaya makipag-ugnayan din dapat sa GPPB. Kapag ban na sa PCAB, dapat ban na agad sa GPPB at vice versa,” he emphasized.
Gatchalian stressed the need for stricter coordination between PCAB and GPPB to ensure erring contractors and their affiliates are barred from future government deals, saying this is vital to prevent repeat violations and protect taxpayer funds from misuse.