September 3, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Division of Public Works and Highways will not probe itself on the anomalies surrounding flood management tasks as newly put in DPWH chief Vivencio Dizon will abolish its inside investigating group to offer method to an unbiased physique being shaped by President Marcos.
The company, underneath its former secretary Manuel Bonoan, had shaped an anti-corruption job drive to permit the general public to report irregularities and corrupt personnel because it was dealing with a barrage of criticism over subpar and ghost flood mitigation tasks.
Days after the duty drive was shaped, Malacañang introduced that Bonoan had resigned and would get replaced by Dizon, then the transportation secretary.
Chatting with reporters in Subic yesterday, Dizon stated the DPWH shouldn’t probe itself, noting that Marcos is already creating an unbiased panel that might look into the anomalous tasks.
“With all due respect to the officers who shaped the duty drive, I don’t imagine a corporation can examine itself. It doesn’t appear proper,” Dizon stated.
“For me, the President has spoken. He’ll create an unbiased fee. Allow us to give the unbiased fee the accountability and authority to
examine,” he added.
The unbiased fee, which can be created by means of an govt order, will examine claims about venture irregularities and give you suggestions on what to do with events discovered to be concerned in corrupt practices.
Dizon identified that when the DPWH inside investigation committee was created, Marcos had but to announce his intention to type an unbiased physique.
“Now that (an announcement has been made), allow us to respect the knowledge of the President. So I’ll abolish it,” he added.
Bonoan beforehand approved the duty drive to difficulty subpoena duces tecum and subpoena advert testificandum “as obligatory.”
The previous DPWH chief additionally ordered the creation of a technical working group and secretariat to assist the duty drive in its mandate.
Other than these, the duty drive was additionally given the authority to journey and examine venture websites and to acquire data and data from any workplace of the DPWH in pursuit of its investigation actions.
Dizon stated the findings of the interior job drive can be given to the unbiased fee, noting that he and his group will collect data inside the division and relay them to the exterior physique.
Magalong a part of fee?
In a associated improvement, Marcos declined to touch upon experiences that Baguio Metropolis Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who had claimed that a minimum of 67 lawmakers are utilizing contractors as “fronts” for flood management tasks, could be a part of the unbiased fee.
“I don’t wish to discuss it till it’s accomplished. We’ve got not accomplished the plan, however we’ll discuss this quickly. Very, very quickly,” the President stated in an opportunity interview yesterday in Subic.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro beforehand stated Marcos is open to speaking to Magalong concerning the schemes being employed by corrupt officers and venture contractors.
In the meantime, Dizon stated he has not heard something about Magalong becoming a member of the unbiased physique.
“Personally, it will likely be a welcome improvement if that’s true. , Mayor Magalong is on the forefront, not simply now. He and different officers have been talking about it for a very long time,” the general public works chief stated.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, for his half, could have preempted the President’s announcement, lauding Marcos for together with Magalong within the unbiased fee.
“Good transfer on the a part of the President to create an unbiased physique to research. I used to be knowledgeable that Mayor Benjamin Magalong can be a part of that physique, and that’s even higher,” Lacson stated.
Lacson stated he’s keen to assist the unbiased fee in its job to weed out corruption within the DPWH.
“In my capability and with all the knowledge we’ve up to now gathered, I’ll lengthen no matter help I can provide, if requested, particularly in order that the DPWH has a dynamic, progressive-minded and reform-oriented head within the individual of Sec. Vince Dizon,” Lacson stated.
60 days
At a press convention alongside former DPWH secretary Bonoan on the company’s central workplace, Dizon has set a timeline to conduct an inside cleaning of the division.
“Personally, …we’re giving ourselves 60 days, most, to have the ability to see how greatest we will reorganize and hopefully after 30 to 60 days, we could have a corporation that we really feel can be able to tackle these challenges,” he stated earlier than DPWH rating officers and officers who welcomed him through the formal turnover ceremonies yesterday afternoon.
“It’s a tough course of, however it’s a obligatory course of for us to evolve, to regain the belief of the folks.
“It (can be) a really tough 60 days,” Dizon harassed.
“It’s all the time tough with each evolution, however as I stated, it is extremely obligatory,” he added.
The DPWH chief stated the President gave him two express orders: “There’s a want for an inside cleaning. He believes there’s a have to do it now.”
The opposite directive, he stated, which was an important, was for the “flood management tasks which are wanted by our countrymen, these ghost and substandard tasks, they need to be fastened.”
“Ought to we simply watch TV and witness the struggling of the folks affected by the extreme floods? So we have to do one thing,” Dizon stated.
“So I name on the members of the company, allow us to assist the President deal with these fast issues. We can’t clear up the issues in a single day, however we will alleviate them,” he added. — Rainier Allan Ronda, Marc Jayson Cayabyab
