September 2, 2025 | 7:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Newly put in Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered a lifetime ban on contractors discovered to have engaged in ghost initiatives.
At his first press briefing as DPWH chief, Dizon stated he witnessed such initiatives firsthand whereas inspecting them with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He was referring to an inspection on August 15 in Bulacan with Marcos with out Bonoan.
“These ghost initiatives and substandard initiatives, I cleared it with the president that these contractors of ghost initiatives, to start with, I’ll impose a lifetime blacklisting ban, instantly,” Dizon stated.
He stated that when a undertaking is set to be a ghost undertaking, the contractor will robotically be blacklisted with out additional course of.
Dizon additionally pledged full cooperation with Marcos’ deliberate impartial fee tasked with investigating corruption in flood management initiatives. He promised inside reforms inside the DPWH.
Past the division, Dizon vowed an overhaul of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), an connected company of the Division of Commerce and Business. Solely PCAB-accredited contractors are allowed to work with the federal government.
Contractors board below scrutiny
The board has itself been dogged by allegations of corruption amid controversies involving flood management initiatives. Sen. Ping Lacson earlier stated he had info that accreditations had been being offered for round P2 million.
Dizon declined to supply particulars on his reform plan however stated Marcos has obtained reviews of anomalies inside PCAB and mentioned them with him and Commerce Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
Requested how he would forestall blacklisted contractors from rebranding below new names, Dizon stated vigilance rests with the board, which is liable for accreditation.
A number of contractors have already been flagged for alleged ghost initiatives, together with St. Timothy Building Corp., linked to the Discaya household.
