The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has installed new leadership in its Bulacan First District office, signaling a tougher push to overhaul the agency and break with practices blamed for years of unchecked flooding in the province.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday said newly designated Officer-in-Charge (OIC) District Engineer Kenneth Fernando and OIC Assistant District Engineer Paul Lumabas will help deliver results, not just accountability.
In a meeting with the new officers, Dizon underscored that residents have little patience left for delays, as many communities endure flooding for nearly half of the year.
“People in Bulacan need solutions. Yes, they want accountability, but they also want solutions. They are suffering every day for practically six months in a year because they are always flooded here,” Dizon said.
Dizon said the appointment of new officers in Bulacan’s First District is part of a broader shake-up within the agency.
“What we will do now, with our new leadership here in the first district of Bulacan, we will give them full support. It’s symbolic of the changes that we want to make—that the President wants to make in the DPWH,” he said.
Fernando, a 10-year DPWH veteran and a graduate of the agency’s Cadet Engineering Program, and Lumabas, who previously served at the DPWH central office’s Public-Private Partnership Service, are among the officials expected to drive the reform push on the ground.
Dizon said more reshuffling is underway, with “fresh blood” set to be placed in critical DPWH posts nationwide as the administration moves to dismantle entrenched inefficiencies and enforce a results-driven culture within the department.