House lawmakers backed the appointment of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon as the new chief of the controversy-plagued Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), replacing Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Sunday.
Admin ally Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano called Dizon an “excellent choice” to lead the DPWH and spearhead the agency’s ongoing investigation into anomalies in flood control projects, citing his effective performance in the DOTr with “zero tolerance for people who are not law-abiding.”
Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. echoed Valeriano, saying Dizon is “the right man to reset and clean up” the DPWH and hopes his successor in the DOTr will be as effective and tough.
Ex-Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda also concurred: “There’s no better appointment” for the DPWH than Dizon, who has already “proven himself to be the fastest, most responsive, and most practical official across multiple administrations.”
“His leadership style is no-nonsense and always focused on results. Wherever he is placed, he solves problems,” Salceda said, adding that Dizon is unfazed by challenging tasks.
Though Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña sees this as a first step in purging corruption and holding those involved in the flood control scheme accountable, he asserted that the Marcos administration should go beyond leadership reforms, emphasizing that “corruption in the agency is systemic and widespread.”
The anomalies in the P545.64-billion flood control projects extend beyond DPWH district engineers, implicating private contractors and members of Congress as well.
ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio agreed with Cendaña, asserting that the “plunder of public infrastructure funds is so systematic, widespread, and deep-rooted,” which cannot be resolved by simply replacing the DPWH chief.
“Short of smashing this whole system, the people must demand that the ongoing flood control corruption scandal go beyond mere optics and lead to the conviction of the highest officials involved, together with their enablers, recovery of plundered wealth, and real transparency and accountability at all stages of public infrastructure development,” Tinio stressed.
Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, co-chair of the House Infrastructure Committee, which is set to launch a parallel probe into flood control on Tuesday, said Bonoan’s resignation does not spare him from scrutiny, as he will still be invited to the probe along with Dizon.
“The House Infrastructure Committee will nonetheless continue with its initial hearing on Tuesday, focusing on the President’s site inspections of ghost and substandard projects in Bulacan, and undercapitalized firms cornering billions of pesos in flood control contracts,” Ridon said.
Kamanggagawa Rep. Elijah San Fernando warned that the flood control scheme cannot succeed without a “syndicate” operating inside the DPWH—a network of DPWH officials, state auditors, contractors, and legislators from both the House and the Senate. He posits that Dizon alone cannot resolve such “well-orchestrated corruption.”
About 9,855 flood control projects worth P545.64 billion have been implemented since President Marcos Jr. assumed office in June 2022 up to May this year.
Last month, he revealed that of the 2,400 contractors, only 15 firms bagged P100 billion or 20 percent of all flood control projects, including Wawao Builders, the reported contractor of the “ghost” projects in Bulacan.
Bulacan is among the country’s top 10 flood-prone provinces. Despite massive funding, it remains prone to floods, raising suspicions of substandard, delayed, and incomplete works as well as corruption.