PUBLIC Works Secretary Vince Dizon yesterday said he will abolish an internal investigation team in the Department of Public Works and Highways, and let the probe on anomalous projects be handled by an independent investigating body that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is creating.
He said it is not right for the agency to investigate itself.
The DPWH’s Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Committee was created last month by Dizon’s predecessor, Manuel Bonoan, who resigned effective September 1 amid controversies stemming from anomalous and “ghost” flood control projects.
Dizon said the internal probe committee, which he said will be abolished within the day, was created before Marcos announced his plan to form an independent commission.
“The President has already spoken. He will establish an independent commission. Let’s give the independent commission the responsibility and authority to investigate,” Dizon said in Filipino, in an interview at the inauguration of the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Philippines Inc. in Subic in Zambales.
The abolition of the probe body comes a day after Dizon ordered all officials to submit courtesy resignations as part of the clean-up of the agency.
He said the DPWH would continue to collate information and evidence it could find and submit these it to the independent investigating commission.
He also said he would inspect flood control projects in the coming days.
On the independent body, he reiterated he is not aware who would be its members but welcomed the possibility of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s inclusion in the body. Asked about former PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III, Dizon said he said he is not privy to the decision of the President.
The President, in an interview on the sidelines of the inauguration, said the creation of an independent investigating body will be finalized “very, very soon.”
Marcos the other day said an executive order creating a body that would investigate the irregularities in the flood control projects and other infrastructure programs is still being crafted.
“I don’t want to talk about it until it’s finalized. The plan is not complete yet. But it’s coming very, very soon,” he said I mixed Filipino and English when asked if Magalong would be part of the independent body.
Magalong has submitted documents to the President detailing alleged irregularities in the implementation of flood mitigation projects involving several lawmakers.
The President last month said more than 6,000 of at least 9,000 flood control projects implemented under his term “do not specify the exact type of flood control structures built, repaired, or rehabilitated,” while many of the projects, despite having different locations, also have “exactly the same contract cost, which could mean the same design, materials and lengths were used despite difference in location or terrain.”
Marcos said they also found that around 20 percent of the total number of flood control projects, amounting to over P100 billion, went to 15 contractors, which means that some of them “have projects in almost all regions nationwide.”
REORGANIZATION
Dizon said he has set a 60-day deadline to reorganize the agency and fix its system to regain public trust.
He made the statement during the turnover ceremony yesterday at the DPWH office in Manila.
He said his first 60 days as DPWH chief will be challenging as the agency will undergo reorganization following his order l for DPWH officials, including districts engineers, to submit their courtesy resignations.
“We are giving ourselves a maximum of 60 days to see how best we can reorganize,” Dizon said. “After 30 to 60 days, we aim to have an organization that can move decisively and effectively. It will be a difficult process, as any reorganization is, but it is necessary to cleanse and fix the systems” he added
On Monday during his oathtaking in Malacañang, Dizon said he intends to complete the “top to bottom” review of the performance of DPWH officials, and make changes if any, within 30 to 60 days.
At the turnover, Dizon said while the majority of DPWH employees are hardworking, talented, and honest, there remain a few “bad eggs” whose actions tarnish the agency’s reputation.
“In any organization, there are always problematic members. We need to go through the process of weeding out the bad and replacing them with the good. It’s a difficult but necessary process for DPWH to rebuild the people’s trust,” he said.
Bonoan, in a press briefing, said he turned over 9,855 projects nationwide, implemented from July 2022 to May 2025, ranging from road construction and bridges to flood control programs and other key infrastructure initiatives.
“We have submitted to the President the list of completed projects and those still ongoing. These projects have undergone validation in specific areas, and the results will be turned over to Secretary Dizon for continuity,” Bonoan said.
He said initial field validations uncovered 15 non-existent or “ghost” projects out of 1,600 project sites checked, most of which are located in Bulacan’s first district.
“Two of these projects have already been validated by the internal audit and confirmed to be non-existent,” Bonoan said. – With Myla Iglesias
