MANILA – Newly appointed Public Works secretary Vince Dizon wasted no time in launching a sweeping purge at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), announcing Monday that he will order the courtesy resignation of all officials — from undersecretaries down to district engineers — as part of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive for a major overhaul of the scandal-hit agency.
Speaking after taking his oath at Malacañang Palace, Dizon said the order would be executed “immediately in the coming days.”
“Aking i-execute immediately sa susunod na araw. Unang-una po, ang unang-una ko pong order na ipalalabas ay ang pag-order ng courtesy resignations top to bottom,” Dizon declared.
He clarified the order would cover “Usec, Asec, division head, regional director, hanggang district engineer ng buong bansa. Ito ang unang-una po na order na gusto ipalabas ng ating Pangulo.”
Marcos’ Directive: A Clean Sweep
Dizon stressed the move was the President’s first directive to him: to rid the DPWH of corruption and inefficiency.
“Paglilinis, ‘yan po ang unang-unang direktiba ng ating pangulo. Nag-usap po kami nang matagal kanina at ang sabi niya, linisin ang DPWH,” he said.
The DPWH chief said the mass resignations would be followed by a strict performance review to identify competent and honest officials for key posts.
“Naniniwala sila na maraming mabubuti at magagaling na kawani ang DPWH. Ang utos ng ating pangulo, hanapin sila. At sila ang ilagay sa mga sensitibo at importanteng posisyon,” he added.
Ghost Projects and Accountability
Dizon also vowed accountability for irregularities, particularly “ghost projects” uncovered during inspections. He cited Marcos’ recent trip to Bulacan where a non-existent project had already been paid to contractors.
“Hindi magkakaroon ng mga ganitong klaseng proyekto kung walang kakuntsaba sa loob ng DPWH,” he said.
“Kapag ang isang project ay guni-guni ika nga ng ating Pangulo, ghost project, hindi puwedeng walang tao sa DPWH na nag-sign off sa proyektong ‘yan dahil lalo po ‘yung sa halimbawa ‘yung pinuntahan ng ating Pangulo sa Bulacan, ‘yung non-existent project. Pinakita pa po ng pangulo ‘yung mga resibo na ibinayad sa mga contractor. Paano po nabayaran ang isang proyekto na guni-guni lang, na wala naman talaga?” Dizon asked.
“Meron po sa DPWH na nagpabayad doon. Ang utos ng ating Pangulo hanapin ‘yon. At tanggalin sa puwesto at kasuhan,” he added.
PCAB Under Scrutiny
Alongside the purge, Dizon announced a major revamp of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), which regulates contractor licensing, following allegations of extortion.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson earlier reported that contractors were asked to pay at least P1 million to prevent license non-renewal, while another allegedly paid P7 million for initial accreditation.
Under Philippine law, contractors and subcontractors are required to secure a PCAB license to engage in construction projects./PN
