Dizon wants courtesy resignation of DPWH officials, blacklisting of contractors

Effective today, there’s a new sheriff in town at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Vince Dizon as the new secretary, following the resignation of Manuel Bonoan over the weekend.

The President has given the new Public Works Secretary a clear mission: to conduct a “house cleaning” to stop the alleged decades-long corruption within the agency of funneling trillions of pesos in public funds to politicians and their contractor cohorts through various projects.

“Ang utos ng ating Pangulo ay mag-clean house, linisin ang ahensya,” said Dizon during a press briefing in Malacañang.

(Our President's order is to clean house, cleanse the agency.)

In a bid to reform the DPWH, Secretary Dizon has laid out his immediate action plan, which includes three key points:

Mass courtesy resignations

To begin the “house cleaning,” Dizon has requested courtesy resignations from all DPWH officials, spanning from undersecretaries and assistant secretaries to division heads and district engineers.

Swift blacklisting

Dizon announced that contractors involved in “ghost” or substandard projects will be blacklisted for life. He emphasized that he would change current procedures to allow for immediate action without prolonged investigation.

“If the project is a ghost project, do we still need to investigate?” he remarked.

Overhaul of PCAB

A complete revamp of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is also planned. PCAB is responsible for licensing and accrediting contractors to ensure quality and safety standards.

At the same time, said Dizon, real addressing of the flooding will be a top priority. Dizon describes the flooding issue, not only in Metro Manila, but in the entire country, as rooted in “decades of corruption.”

Dizon announced that he will seek collaboration with government agencies, LGUs, and private sector players like Ramon Ang and SMC. He emphasized that resolving the problem will require a “massive effort” and cannot be fixed with a few days of cleanup. “This is not magic where flooding will disappear next month,” he noted, emphasizing the gargantuan task ahead.