Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has reaffirmed that government must complete all unfinished infrastructure projects before entertaining new proposals, saying this is a direct instruction from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. given during his inspection of delayed works in Ilocos Norte on Friday.  

Dizon began his Ilocos Norte visit in Piddig, where he checked the ongoing Loing–Mangitayag and Cabaroan–Libnaoan bridge projects and stressed that these are not “ghost projects” but nearly finished structures that only lack remaining works for completion. He acknowledged that both bridges had been funded and built in phases and said this practice should no longer be standard, adding that construction will now be fast-tracked using savings of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to open a safer and shorter route for local motorists and farmers as soon as possible.  

In an exclusive interview during the trip, Dizon said he also went on to inspect at least two other unfinished bridges elsewhere in the province, including structures in Dingras and San Nicolas that have remained incomplete since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that these long-delayed projects, like those in Piddig, continue to disrupt daily travel and economic activity for residents who rely on them for mobility and access to basic services.  

Dizon lamented that the Dingras bridge, whose funding was cut during the pandemic, has gone without adequate allocation for about five years, leaving the structure “nakabitin” and forcing people to endure poor connectivity. He added that similar half-done or stalled projects can be found “sa halos lahat ng parte ng Pilipinas,” emphasizing that the problem has built up over many years and cannot be blamed on a single administration.  

According to Dizon, Marcos has ordered the DPWH to prioritize the completion of long-pending infrastructure nationwide before the agency entertains or submits any new project proposals. He said officials and field offices have been reminded that they are “bawal mag-propose ng bago” hangga’t hindi napopondohan at natatapos ang mga nauna nang proyekto, to avoid spreading funds too thinly over many unfinished structures.  

“For me, it’s common sense: if you have already started a project, you must finish that first,” Dizon said, stressing that every peso of public money should result in usable roads, bridges, classrooms and hospitals within reasonable timeframes. He warned that when projects are allowed to remain hanging for years, there are cases where they can no longer be funded in subsequent budgets, turning them into permanent eyesores that fuel public frustration and distrust.  

Using the Loing–Mangitayag Bridge as an example, Dizon criticized the long-standing practice of releasing budgets on a piecemeal, phase-by-phase basis instead of providing full funding when a project can be finished in a single year. He pointed out that while the bridge was estimated to cost around P50 million, it initially received only P30 million, inevitably leaving a portion of the structure undone and forcing residents to wait at least another budget cycle before it can be completed.  

He said project engineers and district officials acknowledged that if the full P50 million had been released at once, the Loing–Mangitayag Bridge could have been completed last year. For Dizon, this underlines the need to “punuin na natin yung pondo” for projects that are realistically finishable within one budget year, instead of scattering small allocations across many undertakings that then drag on for years.  

Dizon added that the DPWH is now looking at tapping its own savings to quickly close funding gaps for key unfinished projects, particularly those where only modest amounts are needed to finally make them usable. He cited as an example a bridge approach in Estancia that requires only around P15 million but remains unusable because the remaining segment has no funding yet, saying that a “100% completed” phase means little if the overall structure still cannot serve the public.  

Beyond savings, Dizon said additional funds will be programmed and prioritized in the 2027 national budget for critical infrastructure in Ilocos Norte, including the San Nicolas bypass, the Laoag bypass, and the Dingras Regional Medical Center, which he described as “napakaimportante” because it directly concerns people’s health and lives. He disclosed that he has instructed the regional director to clearly list and elevate these priority projects in the DPWH’s 2027 funding plan so they do not get lost in the shuffle of competing proposals.  

The secretary also cited the Inspire Complex in Cabaroan, a cultural facility that reportedly started as far back as 2011 but received only about P50 million per year, as another example of how small, yearly releases can stretch construction for more than a decade. He said such drawn-out timelines are both “nakakalungkot” and “nakakainis” for communities who have been waiting for years to actually use the facilities that were promised to them.  

Dizon argued that this pattern of underfunding and prolonged construction must stop if government wants to rebuild and sustain public confidence in its infrastructure drive. He said residents who see unfinished bridges, roads, classrooms and hospitals for years naturally become critical and skeptical of government performance, especially when they feel the delays are avoidable.  

He thanked netizens and local residents who continue to flag problematic or unfinished projects, saying their complaints and reports help DPWH identify which structures need urgent intervention. Dizon encouraged the public to keep sending feedback and documentation to the agency so that questionable or delayed projects can be inspected, validated and rectified as quickly as possible.  

While praising the generally strong state of infrastructure in Ilocos Norte and noting that many roads and bridges in the province are in good condition, Dizon admitted that the province has still been affected by the same flawed planning and budgeting habits seen elsewhere. Echoing Marcos’ directive, he said the department is now under clear instruction to change its approach and “tapusin muna” ang mga nakabinbing proyekto “once and for all” before even considering new ones.