Who is Allan Quirante, Top Flood Control Contractor on Marcos’ List?

CEBU, Philippines – Cebuano engineer Allan Quirante made headlines on August 19, 2025, after a heated exchange with Senator Rodante Marcoleta at the Senate over irregularities in his company’s flood control project contracts. Marcoleta criticized Quirante for not answering questions directly about the financial records and contracts awarded to his firm.

Quirante is the owner of QM Builders, currently ranked fourth among the top 15 contractors listed by Malacañang for securing flood control projects. QM Builders grabbed 1 out of 5 major flood control projects in the country. According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the company received 96 contracts between July 2022 and May 2025, totaling P7.3 billion, despite starting with only P1.25 million in capitalization.

From Hardware Store to Top Contractor

QM Builders began as a small hardware store in 1992 in Dumanjug town, Cebu. Allan and his wife, Zosima, ran the store before venturing into construction in 2003, creating a separate business entity under the same name. Quirante said the hardware company’s Net Financial Contracting Capacity (NFCC) is P40 billion, meeting Philippine procurement law standards for large contracts.

Past Controversies

QM Builders has been involved in controversial projects. In 2013, five families claimed they lost homes due to a landslide during road-widening works on the Talisay-Toledo Wharf Access Road. In 2015, a flash flood in Barangay Jaclupan, Talisay City, was blamed on a culvert built by the company. In 2018, 60 families near a quarry managed by QM Builders were asked to relocate. Quirante pledged relocation sites and clarified permits with authorities.

Community Contributions

Quirante is also known for philanthropy in Dumanjug. In 2018, he donated a one-hectare lot in Barangay Manlapay for a DPWH-funded evacuation center and livestock trading post. In 2023, he gave another lot in Barangay Lawaan to the Bureau of Fire Protection. Dumanjug Mayor Guntrano “Gungun” Gica praised Quirante’s contributions, highlighting road-building and chapel construction funded personally by the engineer.

Mayor Gica also promised to push for a municipal council resolution certifying that all projects by QM Builders were legitimate and free of “ghost projects.”