Allan Quirante’s building enterprise went from a easy ironmongery store in Dumanjug city, Cebu, to one of many high 15 contractors that cornered 1 of 5 flood management initiatives within the nation
CEBU, Philippines – Cebuano engineer Allan Quirante incurred the wrath of Senator Rodante Marcoleta on Tuesday, August 19, for failing to immediately reply the lawmaker’s questions concerning irregularities within the monetary data and contracts awarded to his firm.
This occurred throughout a heated dialogue on the Senate over anomalous contracts for flood management initiatives, the place Marcoleta informed Quirante, “‘Wag kang tatawa-tawa kasi hindi nakakatawa ito. Dito pa lang, nagsisinungaling ka na.”
(Don’t snicker as a result of this isn’t humorous. You’re already mendacity right here.)
Quirante isn’t any odd engineer. His firm, QM Builders, is presently ranked fourth among the many high 15 contractors listed by Malacañang that cornered 1 of 5 flood management initiatives throughout the nation.
Information from the Division of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) confirmed that QM Builders was awarded 96 contracts between July 2022 and Might 2025.
Information offered in the course of the Senate listening to confirmed that QM Builders managed to safe P7.3 billion in flood management mission contracts from 2022 to 2025 regardless of having a beginning capitalization of solely P1.25 million.
Quirante denied this, stating that the monetary data obtained by lawmakers have been just for their building firm and never their {hardware} firm.
Based on Quirante, QM Builders started as a easy ironmongery store in 1992. He and his spouse, Zosima, began the enterprise and was headquartered in Dumanjug city, Cebu.
The engineer informed lawmakers that by 2003, he had ventured into building companies, opening a special enterprise entity with the identical title (QM Builders).
Quirante clarified that their {hardware} firm’s Web Monetary Contracting Capability was at P40 billion. The NFCC is a requirement below Philippine procurement legislation for bidders to be awarded contracts, guaranteeing that their monetary capability meets the funds wanted for a mission.
Previous initiatives
QM Builders took on some controversial initiatives previously. In 2013, they have been the official contractor of a road-widening mission for the Talisay-Toledo Wharf Entry Highway.
Primarily based on a Solar.Star Cebu article dated October 2013, 5 Talisay Metropolis residents then claimed they misplaced their properties after a landslide that was brought on by earth-moving operations carried out by QM Builders. A consultant from the development agency stated it was brought on by their clearing operations and that they’d restore the homes after the mission was accomplished.
In 2015, The Freeman reported that QM Builders was being blamed for a flash flood that occurred in Barangay Jaclupan, Talisay Metropolis.
Within the article, then Jaclupan barangay captain Joel Orbiso stated {that a} culvert of a spillway QM Builders had constructed couldn’t deal with the heavy present of water coming from upland areas. This was a part of a road-widening mission they did within the space.
One other Solar.Star Cebu article in 2018 said that 60 households from Sitio Tiguib, Barangay Lagtang, Talisay Metropolis, have been informed to go away their properties as they lived close to a quarry website managed by QM Builders.
In the identical report, Quirante stated he would offer a relocation website for 29 households and that he didn’t have a enterprise allow from Talisay Metropolis as he solely had a allow to quarry from the Provincial Atmosphere and Pure Assets Workplace.
Dumanjug’s favourite
Quirante has made huge donations to the group in Dumanjug city, notably to authorities places of work.
In 2018, Quirante donated a one-hectare lot in Barangay Manlapay to the native authorities of Dumanjug and the Provincial Agriculture Workplace. Based on the native authorities’s social media publish, the lot was used as the positioning for the Provincial Authorities’s Livestock Buying and selling Submit and a DPWH-funded evacuation heart mission.
Once more in 2023, Quirante donated lots in Barangay Lawaan, Dumanjug, to the Bureau of Fireplace Safety in Central Visayas.
In an interview with native radio station dyLA on August 13, Dumanjug Mayor Guntrano “Gungun” Gica stated that he supported QM Builders which had a repute of offering jobs to his constituents.
“Dako kaayo ang iyang natampo sa kalamboan sa amongst lungsod sa Dumanjug. Gani, nagpahimo pa gani siya og mga dalan sa mga barangay gamit ang iyang kaugalingong pundo ug nagpatukod usab og mga kapilya,” Gica informed dyLA.
(He contributed enormously to the event of our city of Dumanjug. In truth, he constructed roads within the barangays utilizing his personal funds and likewise erected chapels.)
The mayor added that he would urge the Dumanjug municipal council to go a decision that may certify that every one initiatives carried out by the corporate have been accomplished correctly and that there was no “ghost mission.” – Rappler.com
