Malacañang on Monday warned new employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to steer clear of corruption as the agency undergoes a sweeping internal revamp under Secretary Vince Dizon.

In a Palace briefing, Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is closely monitoring the overhaul at the DPWH and expects nothing less than honesty and integrity from its ranks.

“Secretary Vince has said many will be let go, so this serves as a warning to those coming in,” Castro said.

The DPWH is currently filling nearly 2,000 vacant positions, with Dizon saying that priority will be given to longtime job order (JO) employees who have proven their dedication and performance.

“I want to promote and elevate the deserving, honest, hardworking people already within DPWH, including our job order employees,” Dizon said during the agency’s flag-raising ceremony on Monday.

“Just because you’ve been on job orders for a long time doesn’t mean you don’t have the right or opportunity to move up,” he added.

Data from the department showed 1,993 positions — including key engineering posts l — remained unfilled.

No delays, no excuses

Dizon also vowed to end long-standing salary delays that have plagued JO workers.

“Within seven days from the cutoff, all salaries will be paid, nothing more, nothing less,” he said.

“Salaries cannot be delayed,” he stressed.

He acknowledged that a similar challenge confronted him when he was at the Department of Transportation, but delays and inefficiency have no place in the DPWH under his watch.

Crackdown and cleanup

The agency’s internal reshuffle coincides with the ongoing investigation by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), created by President Marcos to probe irregularities in public works projects.

Several DPWH officials are already facing administrative and legal actions, with their bank accounts and properties frozen by authorities.

Castro said the Palace’s anti-corruption drive aims to restore public trust and ensure that infrastructure spending benefits communities, not contractors or politicians.

“You must be upright, you must have integrity, and you must act according to the law and in the best interest of the public,” she said.

New faces, new direction

As part of the DPWH’s reorganization, Dizon appointed Lara Inguito-Esquibil as officer-in-charge undersecretary for Convergence Projects and Technical Services.