Dizon pushes DPWH reforms wearing technology hat

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has committed to leveraging technology to overhaul systemic failures and place transparency and accountability at the center of its reforms.

“Systemic problems require systemic solutions: technology, transparency, accountability, and active private sector engagement. Transparency is essential. When things are done in secret, with only a few people involved, accountability disappears,” Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon told members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) on Tuesday.

Dizon said technologies such as blockchain, which make documents publicly accessible while protecting them from manipulation, play a key role in institutionalizing reforms.

Last month, the DPWH adopted blockchain technology to enhance transparency and accountability in national infrastructure projects through a new platform called Integrity Chain.

Developed with the Blockchain Council of the Philippines, the system is designed to make project budgets, procurement, milestones, and payments publicly accessible and tamper-proof.

The DPWH will initially use the platform for foreign-assisted projects funded by Official Development Assistance programs.

The Blockchain Council will provide the DPWH with a one-year free subscription that includes training and cybersecurity support.

‘Simple steps’

The launch received backing from more than 50 institutions and international lenders, including JICA, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank, which finance DPWH’s flagship projects.

“Simple steps, like making all documents publicly accessible, are straightforward but transformative,” Dizon said.

Dizon also vowed an end to corruption in the DPWH in his address before the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City also on Tuesday.

“The era of unbridled stealing of the people’s money has come to an end,” Dizon declared during the plenary session titled “Trust by Design: Tech-Driven Governance and Digital Transformation for the Greater Good.”

He said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had instructed him to “disrupt” the DPWH to uncover and address systemic corruption. “Almost every district engineer I interviewed gave the same answer when asked about their contractors: ‘We don’t know what they’re doing,’” Dizon said.

He cited an investigation in Davao Occidental where a project was signed off and paid in full in 2022 despite no guarantee that construction had even started.

Singaporean model

“Similar instances have occurred all over the country,” Dizon said, adding that transparency is needed to identify who approved the projects, released the funds, and hired the contractors.

Dizon said his partnership with PCCI chairman Dennis Anthony Uy aims to build a transparency portal for all DPWH projects. The system will make all documents publicly available to allow scrutiny by citizens and watchdog groups.

Singapore-based expert Benjamin Tan of Salesforce ASEAN discussed how automation and artificial intelligence have improved governance in Singapore, citing examples from its Civil Defence and Transport ministries, where systems track accountability, detect misuse, and ensure timely public service delivery.

Dizon said the Philippines can follow Singapore’s model through a phased digitalization of government institutions. He revealed that the administration has gathered data on corruption across 15 agencies, including the Land Transportation Office, Bureau of Customs, and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

He also disclosed that the government would invoke the Civil Forfeiture Law to recover stolen public funds. “The government will seize the properties and assets of those convicted, no matter if there is a lack of evidence,” Dizon said.

He concluded by assuring Filipinos that action will be visible soon. “You will see the apprehension and conviction of everyone involved in corruption issues, regardless of their status or position.”