Dizon halts local project bidding for two weeks

Newly appointed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered a two-week suspension of all bidding for locally funded projects nationwide as he mobilizes his new team to implement additional safeguards in the contracting process.

“I will order today a pause to all the ongoing bidding of all locally funded projects nationwide because we have to review and study them based on the President’s directive to clean house,” Dizon told reporters on Wednesday following a ceremonial turnover of leadership at the Transportation department.

“The President does not want any more money from the government, from the DPWH, thrown in the rivers. I’m giving our new team two weeks maximum so we can add safeguards to our processes,” he added.

The suspension covers flood control, road, and other infrastructure projects funded through the national budget and carried out by DPWH’s national, regional, and district offices.

Foreign-assisted projects will continue as scheduled, as they are subject to stricter oversight by international funding institutions. “Those projects, we are assured that they are properly bid out because the foreign funders are watching,” he said.

Dizon said the pause is a necessary step to ensure that infrastructure programs are not just fast-tracked but also safeguarded against waste and corruption.

He stressed that the DPWH must clean up its processes to regain public trust and avoid repeating past issues of questionable or substandard projects.

Yesterday, Dizon said the DPWH will prepare to rebid contracts flagged in recent validations as it seeks to resolve questionable infrastructure deals and restart stalled flood control projects address flooding issues.