Lacson Bares Alleged Extortion as Latest PCAB Scandal

From accreditation for sale to conflict of interest, and now extortion.

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Sunday bared a third issue hounding the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), where a contractor was threatened with non-renewal of his license if he did not pay up.

“A contractor had a problem that he sought to settle with the PCAB. It was a case of extortion because he was blackmailed into coughing up at least a million pesos. He was told his license would not be renewed if he did not pay up,” Lacson said in Filipino in an interview on DZBB radio, citing information reaching him.

In Filipino: Lacson, Ibinulgar ang Umano’y Extortion sa PCAB

Lacson also cited another “horror story” subject to validation, involving a contractor that had to pay P7 million for his first-time accreditation.

While Lacson did not give further details, he said he hopes the contractor who paid the P7 million would cooperate with ongoing investigations and tell his story.

During the interpellation last week of his Aug. 20 privilege speech on substandard and ghost flood control projects, Lacson cited information reaching him that the PCAB is involved in “accreditation for sale,” based on information given to him by private contractors who said the PCAB will take care of the paperwork, for at least P2 million.

PCAB issued a denial, but Lacson said it still has to explain how some contractors got their accreditation after paying up.

Over the weekend, Lacson bared a conflict of interest involving at least two PCAB board members – Engineers Erni Baggao and Arthur Escalante – who sign licenses for contractors yet have their own construction firms that bag contracts for government projects.

Also, Lacson scored Escalante’s attempt to justify his position by claiming that the law creating the PCAB, which was passed in the 1960s, mandates that board members be contractors.

He pointed out that Sec. 9 of Republic Act 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials, mandates that government officials “shall avoid conflicts of interest at all times” and when a conflict of interest arises, shall “resign from his position in any private business enterprise within 30 days from his assumption of office, and/or divest himself of shareholdings or interest within 60 days from such assumption.”

“When you enter government service, particularly a regulatory body and you have a conflict of interest due to your business or practice, you should divest from your business within 30 days,” Lacson said.

“If we follow Escalante’s explanation, that means a lawyer who is appointed as a judge or justice can still practice law or run his law firm. That is wrong reasoning. Escalante has to consult a lawyer because he may be charged for violating RA 6713 over clear conflict of interest,” he added.

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Lacson, Ibinulgar ang Umano’y Extortion sa PCAB

Mula accreditation for sale hanggang sa conflict of interest, at ngayon nama’y extortion.

Ibinunyag ni Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Linggo ang ikatlong isyu laban sa Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), kung saan isang contractor ang tinakot na hindi mare-renew ang kanyang lisensya kung hindi siya magbabayad.

“Meron namang nagkaproblema, nakipag-settle sa PCAB, hiningan ng (hindi bababa sa isang) milyon din. Yan extortion, kasi bina-blackmail. Nag cough-up ang contractor kasi nagkaroon siya ng kaunting problema at gusto niyang i-settle. Tinakot siya at sinabihang di ma-renew ang license mo,” ani Lacson sa panayam ng DZBB, batay sa impormasyong nakarating sa kanya.

Binanggit din ni Lacson ang isa pang “horror story” na kailangang i-validate pa, kung saan isang contractor umano ang napilitang magbayad ng P7 milyon para sa kanyang unang accreditation.

Bagama’t hindi na nagbigay ng karagdagang detalye si Lacson, sinabi niyang umaasa siyang makikipagtulungan ang contractor na nagbayad ng P7 milyon sa mga imbestigasyon at isasalaysay ang kanyang karanasan.

Noong nakaraang linggo, sa kanyang interpellation kaugnay ng privilege speech noong Agosto 20 tungkol sa substandard at ghost flood control projects, binanggit ni Lacson ang impormasyong nakarating sa kanya na sangkot ang PCAB sa “accreditation for sale,” batay sa salaysay ng ilang private contractors na nagsabing kayang ayusin ng PCAB ang papeles kapalit ng hindi bababa sa P2 milyon.

Naglabas ng pagtanggi ang PCAB, ngunit iginiit ni Lacson na dapat pa rin nilang ipaliwanag kung paano nagkaroon ng accreditation ang ilang contractors matapos magbayad.

Nitong weekend, ibinunyag din ni Lacson ang conflict of interest na kinasasangkutan ng hindi bababa sa dalawang miyembro ng PCAB board – sina Engineers Erni Baggao at Arthur Escalante – na parehong lumalagda ng lisensya para sa mga contractors, subalit sila mismo ay may-ari ng construction firms na nakakuha ng mga kontrata para sa mga proyektong pinopondohan ng gobyerno.

Binatikos din ni Lacson ang pagtatangka ni Escalante na bigyang-katwiran ang kanyang posisyon sa pagsasabing ang batas na lumikha sa PCAB noong 1960s ay nag-aatas na ang mga miyembro ng board ay dapat mga contractors.

Binigyang-diin ni Lacson na malinaw ang Sec. 9 ng Republic Act 6713 o Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials na ang opisyal ng gobyerno “shall avoid conflicts of interest at all times” at kung magkaroon ng conflict of interest, dapat “resign from his position in any private business enterprise within 30 days from his assumption of office, and/or divest himself of shareholdings or interest within 60 days from such assumption.”

“Pag ikaw pumasok sa gobyerno particularly regulatory body at may conflict of interest ka dahil ang negosyo o practice mo ay magko-conflict sa iyong pinanghahawakang pwesto sa gobyerno, dapat mag-divest ka within 30 days,” ani Lacson.

“Kung susundin mo ang kanyang pangangatwiran maski appointed kang huwes o justice pwede ka pa ring mag-practice ng law o may-ari ng law firm? Di pwede yan ang kanyang pangangatwiran, medyo baluktot. Medyo ayusin niya mag consult siya sa lawyer niya dahil pag dumating ang pagkakataon na ma-file-an sila ng kaso because of clear conflict of interest, obvious yan, dahil recorded, may record,” dagdag niya.

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