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Dizon meets with ex-DPWH chiefs; Singson says budget insertions source of corruption
Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon met with former public works secretary Rogelio Singson and Jose de Jesus to seek help in re-organizing the beleaguered department.
In the meeting that lasted for more than an hour, the three discussed corrupt practices in the department and ways on how to stomp them out.
INSTANT BALITA EXCLUSIVE: DPWH Sec. Vince Dizon meets w/former DPWH Sec. Rogelio Singson and Ping de Jesus to discuss ways to clean up DPWH. Singson says insertions by the House and the Senate is a source of massive corruption; P450B in 2025 budget @gmanews @24OrasGMA pic.twitter.com/jJXNmoqrKJ
— Joseph Morong ???????? (@Joseph_Morong) September 7, 2025
Singson pointed to congressional insertions in the budget as the source of the “massive corruption” in the agency.
He said that former DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan told him that most of the latter’s national public works projects were carved out in the budget and went to local projects instead.
“Lower House and the Senate. Total local project insertions in 2025 is about P450 billion. Ang problema d’yan hindi lang [The problem is it's not just the] visible insertions, ibig sabihin NEP [National Expenditure Program] to GAA [General Appropriations Act] apparently, according to Secretary Bonoan. Kaya na-blindside siya [That's why he was blindsided] because some of his programs were also carved out and replaced with local insertions,” Singson said.
In the House Committee on Appropriations hearing last Friday, some lawmakers pointed out that big projects were chopped into smaller projects to fit the P150-million limit so that they could be implemented by the district instead of the regional office of the DPWH.
Dizon also sought the help of the two former secretaries in forming a new team. Singson was Public Works secretary from 2010 until 2016 under President Benigno S. Aquino III, while de Jesus held the position from 1990 to 1993 under Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos.
Singson said asking for the courtesy resignations of the top officials of the department is a step in the right direction.
“Humihingi ako ng tulong sa mga tao [I am asking for help from people], who I can trust, who are the good people there. We have to find the bad eggs, take them out, make them accountable,” Dizon said.
Dizon also said that he would tap former public works officials who are now working in international organizations such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Singson maintained that while there is corruption, there are still good people in the department.
“That’s why I had to speak up, Secretary Ping [de Jesus] and the former DPWH heads to speak up in defense of the institution that we serve. Six years akong and’yan, ‘me mga matitino naman d’yan. Hindi naman lahat d’yan korap [I was there for six years. There are honorable people there. Not everyone was corrupt],” he said.
Meanwhile, de Jesus denied writing an open letter circulating on social media supposedly to Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Rodante Marcoleta asking to investigate former DPWH secretary and now Senator Mark Villar for alleged multi-billion insertions in the budget during his time as secretary.
He said nonetheless that the allegations are worth looking into.
“No, that’s not written by me. I got that in my Viber and I simply forwarded it to a couple of people as received, I did not add or subtract anything. Many of those are worth looking into but you cannot just make accusations like that, you have to have proof,” he said. — BM, GMA Integrated News
