Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina A. Roque has named Doris U. Gacho and Engr. Sergie T. Retome as acting executive directors of the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) and the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), respectively.
These designations are part of ongoing efforts to clean up and revamp both agencies in relation to the scandalous billions of pesos in flood control projects undertaken by construction firms licensed and accredited by PCAB.
Gacho joined the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) in 2018 as Executive Director of the Philippine Overseas and Domestic Construction Board (PODCB). Retome is chief trade industry development specialist PCAB – technical and financial evaluation division.
It could be recalled PCAB Executive Director Herbert Matienzo, who was also acting ED of CIAP, and board members Arthur Escalante and Erni Baggao, abruptly resigned following the controversial flood control projects involving PCAB accredited contractors. Matienzo and Baggao quit over “personal and health reasons,” while Escalante stepped down after his three-year term as board member expired.
The newly designated acting heads will temporarily manage CIAP and PCAB until permanent replacements are appointed following Civil Service Commission (CSC) rules and procedures. “This will ensure continuity of operations during the revamp,” said Sec. Roque, who recently placed both agencies under her direct supervision. She is also in the process of recommending new members for the PCAB Board, from whom President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will select the final board members.
Earlier, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said both Escalante and Baggao served as presidents of their own construction companies despite being PCAB board members.
Additionally, Sec. Roque announced the establishment of an Oversight and Fact-Finding Management Team within the DTI. This specialized team will coordinate investigations, responses, communications, and recovery efforts related to issues like the current PCAB licensing concerns. The initiative aims to uphold due process, transparency, accountability, and good governance.
“This mechanism will safeguard public interest, ensure accountability, and maintain stakeholder confidence,” Secretary Roque emphasized.
The PCAB is an implementing board of the CIAP, which is itself attached to the DTI. PCAB’s specific task is to license contractors, a function derived from its mandate under the Contractors’ License Law, RA 4566.
