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The Philippine Star
September 28, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has blacklisted two construction firms associated with controversial contractor Sarah Discaya, following contract defaults on projects totaling over P203 million.
In separate orders issued last week, Pubic Works Secretary Vince Dizon ordered the suspension and blacklisting of YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply Inc., and Way Maker General Contractor OPC from participating in any government bidding activities pursuant to Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Under Department Order 127, YPR General Contractor was slapped with a two-year suspension for its second offense, following the termination last Oct. 30 of its contract for default on the P95.53-million construction of flood mitigation structures along Aklan River (Package 2) in Kalibo, Aklan.
Meanwhile, Way Maker General received a one-year suspension under Department Order 128 Series of 2026, after defaulting on the P80-million Aklan West Road project that was terminated last Oct. 30.
Way Maker General was hit with another two-year suspension under Department Order 131 for failing to comply with its P28.27-million contract for the establishment of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) facility along Taft Avenue in Ermita, Manila that the DPWH terminated last Nov. 19.
The two firms were among the nine firms revealed to be owned by Discaya during a Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing last year, where Discaya admitted under oath that she and her family own or hold stakes in nine separate construction companies that actively join DPWH biddings.
During questioning, Discaya confirmed that her network of firms include Alpha and Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp., St. Gerrard Construction and Development Corp., St. Timothy Construction Corp., St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corp., Elite General Contractor and Development Corp., Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor Development Corp., Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor Inc., and YPR and Way Maker One Person Corp.
Discaya initially denied that all nine companies competed against one another for the same contract, but later acknowledged that there were instances where the entities participated in the same bidding process.
DPWH assistant secretaries appointed
Meanwhile, Dizon has appointed two new assistant secretaries at the DPWH, bringing to nine the total number of assistant secretaries at the department, serving under the nine undersecretaries that were created and filled since he assumed leadership of the DPWH in September 2025.
Despite early pledges to streamline operations amid a nationwide “top-to-bottom” cleansing, Dizon had formalized last Sept. 17 a top-heavy administrative structure comprised of nine undersecretaries and assistant secretary assignments.
The latest additions to the central management include Carlo Jauharo Castro – a former public affairs officer of motorcycle ride-hailing app Angkas – as assistant secretary for planning, public-private partnerships, and the National Building Code; and Angelo Nuestro as assistant secretary for information management, a rank downgrade after a stint as undersecretary for connectivity at the Department of Information and Communications Technology in 2022.
They join a crowded pool of assistant secretaries that includes Genevieve Cuaresma (support services), Michelle Mae Vivo (legislative liaison), Melody Anne Calo-Villar (legal service), Michelle de Vera (stakeholders relations and communications), Suzanne Marie Liwanag (Office of the Secretary), and retired Maj. Gen. Rommel Tello (regional operations in Luzon).
Career official Nerie Bueno serves as assistant secretary for regional operations in Visayas and Mindanao, while OIC-Undersecretary Lara Marisse Esquibil is concurrently assistant secretary for external convergence projects.
Directly above the assistant secretaries, a nine-member panel of undersecretaries has been assigned to oversee various specialized services, field operations, and central bureaus.
Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain retains overall supervision over the five specialized Unified Project Management Office clusters, the RPMO-BARMM, flagship infrastructure projects, and the agency’s management committee.
Regional operations remain split between Undersecretary Arthur Bisnar for Luzon and Undersecretary Ador Canlas for Visayas and Mindanao.
The remaining executive portfolios are distributed among OIC-Undersecretary Lara Marisse Esquibil (technical services and operations), Nicasio Conti (planning), Rio Espiritu (support services), Charles Calima (special concerns), Samuel Rufino Turgano (legal service), and Ricardo Bernabe III, who manages the Office of the Secretary, information management, stakeholders relations and legislative liaison while chairing the human resource selection board.
Under the revised setup, the Internal Audit Service has been placed directly under the supervision and control of the Office of the Secretary.
Critics and agency observers note that while President Marcos ordered a “top to bottom” cleanup of the department following massive flood control project anomalies and budget insertion scandals, Dizon’s response has resulted in a dense top management layer at the DPWH while not cutting posts at the regional and district offices.
