Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered regional officials in Davao Oriental to expedite the repair of public infrastructure damaged by a recent magnitude 7.4 earthquake in October.

The directive comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed the need to quickly restore vital public structures, including schools, hospitals, and municipal buildings, in the affected province.

In his order, Dizon stressed the importance of finishing the repair work swiftly to restore normalcy in delivering essential services to residents and ensuring readiness for future emergencies.

He made the comments during an inspection of damaged facilities, echoing the president’s mandate.

“All the public facilities that we need to repair, the president said we must speed up the repairs and ensure they are sturdy,” Dizon said. “We need to build back quickly because our countrymen are suffering, especially our critical facilities; we need to hasten the work.”

Among the infrastructure Dizon inspected were the Evaristo Moralizon National Vocational High School, the Manay Municipal Hall, and the Davao Oriental Hospital in Cateel.

Dizon promised local officials in Manay and Cateel that DPWH personnel would fast-track the repair of all damaged public facilities so they could be quickly returned to public use.