New DPWH chief Dizon orders courtesy resignations of all officials 'from top to bottom'

Newly installed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday announced that he will order the courtesy resignation of all officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from the highest ranks down to district engineers, as part of a sweeping reform directive from President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Speaking at a Palace briefing, Dizon said the order will be carried out “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, 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,” Dizon said.

(I will execute this immediately in the coming days. First of all, my very first order will be to require courtesy resignations from top to bottom — undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, division heads, regional directors, and district engineers nationwide. This is the first order that the President wants implemented.)

The DPWH chief stressed that this move forms part of Marcos’ directive for a “clean sweep” of the department.

“Paglilinis, 'yan po ang unang-unang direktiba ng ating pangulo. Nag-usap po kami nang matagal kanina at ang sabi niya, linisin ang DPWH,” Dizon noted.

(Clean-up, that is the very first directive of our President. We spoke at length earlier today and he told me to clean up the DPWH.)

He added that a thorough review of all personnel will follow the resignations, with the goal of identifying and retaining high-performing officials within the agency.

“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,” Dizon added.

(They believe that there are many good and capable employees in the DPWH. The President’s directive is to find them. They should be placed in sensitive and important positions.)

Crackdown on ghost projects

Dizon also vowed to pursue accountability for anomalous “ghost projects” exposed during recent inspections, emphasizing that such irregularities cannot happen without insiders’ involvement.

“Hindi magkakaroon ng mga ganitong klaseng proyekto kung walang kakuntsaba sa loob ng DPWH,” he said.

(These kinds of projects would not exist without accomplices inside the DPWH.)

Citing Marcos’ recent visit to Bulacan, where a non-existent project was discovered, Dizon pointed out that payments were still made to contractors despite the absence of actual construction.

“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?” he said.

(When a project is just an illusion — as the President said, a ghost project — it is impossible that no one from the DPWH signed off on it. Take for example the non-existent project the President visited in Bulacan. The President even showed receipts issued to contractors. How can a purely imaginary project, one that does not actually exist, be paid for?)

“Meron po sa DPWH na nagpabayad doon. Ang utos ng ating pangulo hanapin ‘yon. At tanggalin sa puwesto at kasuhan,” he added.

(There were people in the DPWH who allowed those payments. The President’s order is to find them, remove them from their posts, and file charges.)

Lifestyle checks

At the same press briefing, Dizon said he fully supports the conduct of lifestyle checks on DPWH officials, describing it as part of President Marcos Jr’s broader directive to clean up the agency.

“Kasama ho iyon sa direktiba ng ating Pangulo, na mag-conduct ng lifestyle checks. Hindi lang sa flood control, kundi sa lahat ng officials ng DPWH,” he said.

(That is part of the President’s directive, to conduct lifestyle checks. Not only in flood control but across all DPWH officials.)

The announcement comes after Marcos ordered a “clean sweep” of the DPWH following revelations of ghost and substandard projects. 

Dizon emphasized that the lifestyle checks are intended to ensure accountability and weed out officials whose wealth cannot be justified by their government salaries. 

He also noted that the initiative will be carried out in coordination with other agencies tasked with anti-corruption and integrity monitoring.

“Paglilinis po ito ng dekada-dekadang mga maling gawain. At sisimulan na po natin ngayon, ayon sa utos ng ating Pangulo,” he said.

(This is the cleanup of decades of wrongdoing. And we will start it now, following the order of the President.)

The DPWH chief added that while accountability measures are being tightened, the department will also move immediately to address longstanding infrastructure issues, particularly flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Dizon took his oath of office before Marcos at Malacañang on Monday morning as secretary of the DPWH, replacing Manuel Bonoan.

Bonoan resigned from his post effective September 1, 2025. 

Marcos said Monday that he accepted the resignation of Bonoan due to command responsibility.

Speaking to reporters in Pasay City, the President said Bonoan took responsibility for all the issues hounding the flood control projects. — KG/RSJ, GMA Integrated News