DTI accredits 715 construction professionals

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it has issued 715 accreditations so far for construction professionals under a program aimed at raising the competitiveness of the sector’s workforce.

This is the “Pakyaw” contractor’s license program of the DTI-Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (DTI-CIAP).

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“They gain a good reputation so it’s also easy for them to get clients,” Trade Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters during a media roundtable, highlighting the benefits of acquiring such an accreditation.

The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), one of the implementing bodies of the CIAP, launched the program in July 2022.

According to the DTI-CIAP, the initiative is aimed at dispelling the mistaken belief that mere possession of a DTI business registration or a SEC registration is enough to operate legitimately as a construction contractor.

Covers all

Citing Republic Act No. 4566, or the Contractors’ License Law, the agency said that all contractors, including sub-contractors and specialty contractors, are required to obtain a PCAB license before engaging in construction contracting.

Through the accreditation program as specified under the PCAB Board Resolution No. 123 issued in 2022, individuals and small–scale contractors are encouraged to legitimize their operations with ease.

The PCAB said the program also ensures that untoward incidents that may violate public security are lessened or avoided.

The license applies to all proprietorship type of registration that are under private projects scope only, it added.