ASEANEWS HEADLINE-CORRUPTION | MANILA: Dizon to order DPWH courtesy resignations
Newly appointed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon speaks during a press briefing at Malacañang on September 1, 2025./ Ryan Baldemor
DPWH Sec. Dizon to order courtesy resignations of all DPWH officials | ANC
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Top-to-bottom purge amid flood anomalies
MANILA, Philippines — Referring to the country’s flooding woes, President Marcos ordered newly appointed Public Works Secretary Vivencio Dizon to carry out a “clean sweep” of his agency, starting with a top-to-bottom purge of its officials.
Dizon, who assumed office as chief of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday, said his first directive was to order the courtesy resignations of the agency’s officials, from undersecretaries down to district engineers nationwide.
“We need to have a clean slate, according to the President. It cannot be limited to the top. It cannot be limited to the bottom. It should be top to bottom,” Dizon told a press briefing hours after he was sworn in by President Marcos at Malacañang.
“This is the start…of a clean sweep. That is the first directive of the President,” Dizon said.
He vowed to conduct a thorough review of all DPWH personnel, saying the President wants him to find the competent ones and place them in sensitive and key posts. Marcos also instructed Dizon to identify public works personnel involved in anomalous projects and to remove them from their posts.
Dizon, who was appointed to the DPWH as the agency is facing scrutiny over alleged irregularities in flood control projects, acknowledged that the flooding problem won’t disappear immediately, but the government has to start addressing it.
“It has to be addressed right away. It will not be easy. There is no miracle here. No silver bullet. It will not be fixed tomorrow. This will take time because it has taken decades for this to build up like this,” he said.
Lifetime blacklisting, PCAB revamp
Aside from the internal purging in DPWH, Dizon is also planning to punish contractors found to be involved in corruption with lifetime blacklisting.
“I already cleared this with the President, the contractors of these ghost projects, I will impose a lifetime blacklisting, ban immediately. If a contractor is found to be involved in a ghost project or if the project is proven to be substandard, there will be no process anymore, there will be no investigation. Automatically, the contractor is blacklisted for life,” the DPWH chief said.
“Of course, this will be accompanied by cases. We will pass all the information we will gather to the independent commission to be formed by the President.”
Dizon explained that ghost projects no longer need to be investigated because one could already see that they are non-existent. He added that the contractors in the problematic projects in Bulacan and Benguet that were inspected recently by Marcos would be blacklisted.
Dizon is also open to the proposal to revoke the licenses of contractors who colluded with corrupt officials.
The DPWH is likewise aiming to work with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to implement a “revamp” of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), an agency that issues licenses to contractors.
Attached to the DTI, the agency recently landed in the news after Sen. Panfilo Lacson claimed that it had extorted money from contractors seeking licenses.
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“We need to revamp the PCAB because that is the body doing everything. In the next few days, we will talk to (DTI) Secretary Cris Roque. Both of us got orders from the President and that is one of the things we will do,” Dizon said.
Asked how he intends to address concerns that blacklisted contractors could just rename their companies to circumvent the ban, Dizon replied: “We just have to be very vigilant… We need to fix and change these, so we have to be vigilant and we have to ensure that we are able to place long-term structural safety nets.”
According to Dizon, such an effort will involve looking at records and owners of companies seeking to transact with the government.
Command responsibility
Dizon replaced Manuel Bonoan, who resigned as the DPWH is facing increased criticism over substandard and ghost projects widely seen to have aggravated the effects of recent cyclones and other weather disturbances.
Prior to his appointment to DPWH, Dizon served as transportation secretary for six months.
In a chance interview in Pasay City, Marcos, who had ordered a probe into questionable flood control projects last July, said Bonoan stepped down because the problems hounding the DPWH happened under his watch.
“Under the principle of command responsibility, he (Bonoan) felt that he should leave his post,” the President said.
With regard to Dizon’s appointment as new public works chief, Marcos said he has done a “very good job” in the transportation department.
“I think he’s already set… the stage for all of the things that we need to do. So, he can leave them behind and go to public works because he’s also familiar with the workings of the Department of Public Works and Highways,” he added.
Dizon admitted that he left the Department of Transportation (DoTr) with a heavy heart since he saw the agency’s potential to accomplish things for the benefit of the public.
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“If the President calls you, you have to answer the call because it’s for the country. If the President calls you to serve, you serve,” he said
Transportation Undersecretary Giovanni Lopez, who oversaw the agency’s administration, finance and procurement, has been named acting secretary.
Seal of approval
Business groups yesterday expressed hope that Dizon’s appointment as the new DPWH head would bring back integrity and accountability at the agency amid corruption issues.
While it comes as a surprise for the country’s largest business organization to see Bonoan step down as DPWH chief, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) welcomed the appointment of Dizon, with PCCI president Enunina Mangio noting Dizon’s solid track record in the infrastructure and transportation sectors.
“We are optimistic that he will bring to the DPWH the same level of enthusiasm as he had at the DOTr and strong inclination toward transparency and public-private partnership models that marked his leadership at the BCDA (Bases Conversion and Development Authority),” Mangio said.
For her part, Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) chair Elizabeth Lee said Dizon’s tenure at DOTr was marked by accelerated infrastructure delivery, modernization of commuter systems through cashless integration as well as swift enforcement of safety reforms.
“This is precisely the kind of governance needed to restore integrity and accountability in DPWH, especially in light of recent anomalies in flood control projects,” Lee said.
The Quezon City government also gave its seal of approval to Dizon, expressing confidence that “the DPWH will further embody transparency, accountability and efficiency in the implementation of public infrastructure” under his leadership.
“In particular, we trust that Secretary Dizon will champion strategic, science-based and community-driven solutions to the persistent problem of flooding, including the adoption and scaling of Quezon City’s Drainage Master Plan,” it said.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan expressed optimism in sweeping reforms in the DPWH under Dizon’s watch.
“The change in DPWH leadership opens the door not only to reorganize the agency, but also to reboot and reinvent the government’s entire flood control program,” he said.
On the other hand, other lawmakers described Bonoan’s resignation as a necessary development to carry out Marcos’ institutional revamp of the DPWH.
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“It is something that should have happened a long time ago,” Bacolod City Rep. Albee Benitez said.
“His resignation is necessary to give way to an impartial investigation and much-needed reform in the DPWH, but it does not also absolve him from accountability in the anomalous flood control projects under his watch,” ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima noted.
For activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Dizon’s appointment does not solve corruption in the public works agency until cases are filed against erring officials, politicians and other involved parties.
“DPWH reeks of corruption as it plays a major role in the disbursement of pork barrel programs nationwide,” Bayan secretary general Raymond Palatino said in a statement.
Gamblers in DPWH
A former district engineer in Bulacan admitted before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee that he had entered casinos while still in government service, as senators questioned him over alleged ghost projects and his controversial lifestyle.
Sen. JV Ejercito confronted former Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara about reports that he and his successor, District Engineer Bryce Hernandez, frequented casinos despite restrictions on government employees.
“I admit that I am able to enter casinos,” Alcantara told the panel.
Pressed further by Ejercito if he also gambled with Hernandez, Alcantara replied: “Sometimes we’re together, sometimes not.”
Ejercito then asked how often Alcantara and his group played in a month.
“Two to three times, Mr. Chair,” the former engineer said.
He added that while his own bets were relatively modest – “P30,000 to P50,000” – Hernandez allegedly wagered far larger sums.
The senator also cited information that Hernandez drove a Ferrari to work and entered the DPWH office late.
“My information, Mr. Chair, is that at 10 a.m., you usually arrive at the office… and by 2 p.m. you are gone. You can confirm this. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and by 2 p.m. you go straight to the casino. True or not?” Ejercito asked.
Alcantara denied leaving that early, saying he usually stayed until 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.
Ejercito urged the committee to issue warrants of arrest against Hernandez and another official, JP Mendoza, for failing to appear despite subpoenas.
He also suggested securing CCTV footage from casinos, particularly Solaire North, to verify the allegations.
Earlier, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said a “syndicate” within the DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office was behind schemes of patterned and padded allocation and allegedly borrowing contractors’ licenses and declaring projects completed even without construction.
Under the scheme, Lacson said budget items appear in the General Appropriations Act and awarded contracts with identical amounts for multiple projects, whether near or far apart.
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According to DPWH insiders and contractors who spoke to Lacson’s office, the figures serve as a “coded budget” identifying the supposed “owners” of the projects – a signal that, in Lacson’s words, means: “that’s mine.”
The Bulacan 1st Engineering District, Lacson said, has become the most notorious case, with at least 28 projects for 2024 all priced at P72 million each.
Lacson said Alcantara and Hernandez allegedly oversaw the same pattern of padded allocations.
Additionally, Lacson revealed yesterday that two DPWH officials in Bulacan squandered at least P300 million each in casino gambling.
In the interpellation of his privilege speech on substandard and ghost flood control projects, Lacson said he relayed advance information on the two officials to Dizon.
“The two of them, as per my information, used aliases. They hid their true identities and used fictitious names,” he said, identifying one as a district engineer and the other a minor functionary.
Lacson did not say whether the people he referred to were Alcantara and Hernandez.
Reassignments
Despite Bonoan’s exit, the reassignments he recently made are still in effect, the agency said.
“The reassignments issued by secretary Bonoan is still in effect unless superseded by a new order from Sec. Vince,” Randy del Rosario, DPWH Stakeholder Relations Service director, told The STAR yesterday.
As late as Friday, Bonoan had issued reassignments or appointments involving district engineers but not necessarily as disciplinary actions in view of the exposés on ghost and substandard flood control projects.
In one of the two orders issued by Bonoan dated Aug. 29 and released yesterday, Jehela Roxas was assigned as district engineer of the Eastern Samar District Engineering Office to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of erstwhile district engineer Domcelio Natividad.
The other order was the designation of Chito Nelson Eusores as officer-in-charge district engineer of the Tacloban City District Engineering Office, replacing Ray Mate, who was reassigned.
Also last week, Bonoan had designated Vivian Biaco as officer-in-charge district engineer of the DPWH Catanduanes District Engineering Office, replacing district engineer Simon Arias in an order issued last Aug. 28.
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Also issued on the same day were the reassignment of Editha Babaran as the officer-in-charge district engineer for DPWH Region 4-B, replacing district engineer Gerald Pacanan who was drawn in the controversy over the collapsed dikes in Mindoro that drew the ire of Gov. Humerlito Dolor.
Other reassignments ordered by Bonoan last month was the reassignment of DPWH Las Pinas-Muntinlupa former district engineer Isabelo Baleros as district engineer of the Metro Manila 3rd District Engineering Office.
DTI cleaning up PCAB
Meanwhile, the DTI confirmed it is conducting a probe and clean up at PCAB for issuing licenses to contractors, amid allegations of flood control corruption.
“For the PCAB, we’ll do a clean up,” Trade Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremonial awarding of loans for tourism micro, small and medium enterprises yesterday.
Under the Contractors’ License Law, no contractor can engage in business without securing a PCAB license.
By accrediting contractors, PCAB plays a critical role in ensuring that construction projects meet both legal and quality standards. Securing a PCAB license is among the requirements for firms undertaking projects under the DPWH.
For its probe, the DTI has formed a fact-finding team that will oversee the investigation and coordinate with relevant agencies, as well as recommend reforms to prevent future lapses.
“The DTI will pursue this investigation thoroughly, fairly and without fear or favor. Those found to have engaged in wrongdoing or who compromised the public interest will be held accountable. We will not hesitate to recommend to the President the removal of anyone found to have compromised the public interest or engaged in wrongdoing,” Roque said.
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For its part, PCAB emphasized that the licenses are not for sale.
“The Board has not authorized any individual, group or third-party consultant to act on its behalf or to guarantee contractor accreditation in exchange for money,” PCAB said.
The PCAB also said it is conducting its investigation and working with proper authorities to protect the public and the industry.
At the same time, law firm Pizarras-Flores-Subia has asked PCAB to probe and rescind the accreditation of the top 15 contractors flagged by President Marcos. — Louella Desiderio, Neil Jayson Servallos, Rainier Allan Ronda, Janvic Mateo, Delon Porcalla, Emmanuel Tupas, Ric Obedencio, Gilbert Bayoran
