ACT Teachers Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio has raised alarm over what he calls a “legalized shortcut” in government infrastructure contracting, where joint ventures are allegedly used to funnel billion-peso projects to firms tied to powerful political families.
Tinio pointed to CLTG Builders, a Davao-based company owned by Desiderio Go, father of Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go. According to him, CLTG did not rise through technical merit but through a joint venture with the Discaya group, another politically connected family.
“It seems that the CLTG of the Gos became one of the biggest contractors in Davao because of their joint venture with the Discaya’s. CLTG then used the license of the Discaya’s to get more Davao projects beyond its capacity and it seems that in return the Discaya companies will corner more national infrastructure projects due to the closeness of the family to Malacanang,” Tinio stated.
He warned that such arrangements distort fair competition and allow firms with limited qualifications to secure massive contracts through political influence.
“These companies shouldn’t get away with it just because of their connections,” Tinio stressed.
“When a company grows not because of competence but because of ties to the Palace or the Senate, we have a deep problem in our public works system.”
Investigative reports show that CLTG Builders secured over ₱4.9 billion worth of government contracts from 2007 to 2018 despite holding only a B license—far below the capacity required for large-scale projects. Many of these contracts were awarded during the Duterte administration, when Bong Go served as Special Assistant to the President.
Tinio called for a sweeping congressional investigation into all joint venture arrangements involving politically connected contractors, past and present.
“We need to scrutinize every contract, every partnership that allowed these companies to suddenly become major players in government infrastructure,” he said.
He also urged the House Committee on Public Works and Highways to exercise its oversight powers to ensure public funds are awarded based on merit, not political favoritism.
“We cannot allow public money to go to companies that won contracts not because of their competence, but because of their connections to high-ranking government officials,” Tinio concluded. (ZIA LUNA)
