Newly appointed Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the courtesy resignation of all officials in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), from the highest-ranking executives down to district-level engineers.

Dizon said the sweeping move, he announced during a Palace press briefing on Monday, comes in response to a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. following mounting reports of alleged irregularities and questionable projects within the DPWH.

“Ang unang-una ko pong order na ilalabas ay ang pag-order ng courtesy resignations top to bottom: usec, asec, division head, regional director, hanggang district engineer ng buong bansas (The very first order I will issue is the call for courtesy resignations from top to bottom: undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, division heads, regional directors, down to district engineers across the country),” Dizon told Palace reporters. 

“Iyan po ang unang-unang direktiba ng ating Pangulo. Nag-usap po kami nang matagal kaning umaga at ang sabi niya ‘linisin’ ang DPWH at ito po ang simula (This is the President’s foremost directive. We had a lengthy discussion this morning, and he said, clean up the DPWH, and this is the start),” he added.

Dizon, who officially took over the department’s leadership effective today, emphasized that the move is intended to restore public trust in the DPWH, a department often plagued by allegations of graft and substandard infrastructure projects.

While no specific officials have been named in connection with the alleged anomalies, the courtesy resignations will allow the department to conduct a thorough internal review and identify those who may be implicated in irregular activities.