MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Vince Dizon as the new secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) following the resignation of Manuel Bonoan, who stepped down under heavy fire over alleged “ghost” flood control projects.
Presidential Communications Office’s (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez confirmed on Sunday that Marcos accepted Bonoan’s resignation effective September 1.
Dizon, who previously headed the Department of Transportation, has been ordered to conduct a full organizational review of the embattled agency.
The leadership shake-up comes after Marcos’ surprise inspection of a P55-million river wall project in Baliwag, Bulacan, where he discovered that despite being declared “completed,” no construction had taken place. The revelation sparked outrage and intensified calls for Bonoan’s resignation.
Bonoan initially resisted leaving his post, insisting that stepping down would be “the easier way out” but would not solve systemic corruption within the DPWH.
“Nakakasakit po ito ng dibdib at napakasakit pong tanggapin ang mga nangyayaring ito sa ilalim ng aking panunungkulan, kahit ano pong higpit at strikto ng ating polisiya laban sa katiwalian,” Bonoan said in a video message on Saturday.
“Pero hindi po ang pag-alis o pag-iwas ng responsibilidad ang tamang paraan ng paghahanap ng solusyon. Sa akin po tatanggapin ko ang accountability. Pero tandaan po ninyo hindi ko po kukunsintihin o papayagan ang anumang uri ng korapsyon,” he stressed.
The controversy has prompted President Marcos to demand from the DPWH a comprehensive list of flood mitigation projects implemented over the past three years.
Meanwhile, the League of Cities of the Philippines has backed his directive requiring national agencies to secure approval from local governments before initiating infrastructure projects./PN
