05/09/2025
We all know that all of them, like the Discayas, became bold when this kind of leader empowered them to do it. We know it was illegal, but most Filipinos cheered on.
DISCAYAS' ST. GERRARD WAS DUTERTE ADMIN'S NO. 1 CONTRACTOR — PCIJ
St. Gerrard Construction, owned by the influential Discaya family, emerged as the No. 1 contractor during the Duterte administration's "Build, Build, Build" program, according to a September 2018 report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).
From July 2016 to December 2017, St. Gerrard secured ₱12.3 billion worth of contracts despite having been suspended by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over the submission of spurious tax clearance documents.
PCIJ found that St. Gerrard and nine other firms cornered ₱68.5 billion, or 14% of all DPWH-awarded projects during Duterte's first 18 months. Several of these companies were previously blacklisted, suspended, or had owners facing graft cases, yet still managed to secure lucrative contracts.
The report noted that contractors with checkered records continued to thrive under Duterte's flagship infrastructure push, while DPWH investigations into irregularities dragged on.
READ MORE:
https://old.pcij.org/stories/top-10-contractors-under-du30-runrecord-of-fraud-slippage-blacklisting/
