Reeling from years of controversy over questionable flood control projects and alleged ghost infrastructure, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is bracing for a sweeping shakeup under a 60-day deadline imposed by newly appointed Secretary Vince Dizon.
At a media briefing on Tuesday following a ceremonial turnover of leadership, Dizon said the agency is giving itself 60 days to undergo a reorganization aimed at restoring public trust.
"We are giving ourselves 60 days maximum to be able to see how best we can reorganize. Hopefully, after 30 to 60 days, we will have an organization that we feel will be ready to take on these challenges and move forward," Dizon told reporters. "But it will be a difficult 60 days; I will not sugarcoat it."
Dizon stressed that cleaning up the agency was necessary, acknowledging that "in any organization, there are problematic members."
"The process of weeding out the bad and replacing them with the good is a process that any organization, or all organizations, have to go through at some point. It is a difficult process, but it is a necessary process. Because that is how institutions are built over decades," he said.
Upon his appointment, Dizon's first order was to demand the courtesy resignations of all the DPWH officials, from undersecretaries down to district engineers.
He said the move follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to clean up the department amid longstanding issues of anomalous and "ghost" flood control projects.
An independent commission to be created by the President will investigate officials and personnel found to have enabled irregular projects, with those proven liable to face charges under the law.
DPWH rebidding looms
Meanwhile, the DPWH is taking steps to clean up questionable infrastructure deals, planning to rebid contracts flagged in recent reviews to restart stalled flood control projects.
"We have to fix the projects. We have no choice. The people need flood control. We have to fix it," Dizon told reporters during a spot interview.
"I don't know when, but we have to do it ASAP. Because the people are suffering. We need to do it," he added.
Dizon noted that not all projects could be implemented as public-private partnerships, adding that the government is still studying the best approach to move forward with the necessary works.
The DPWH had earlier pledged to prioritize the desilting of major and tertiary rivers to increase water-carrying capacity and reduce flooding. However, the agency is now under scrutiny after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. released a list of questionable projects.
Outgoing DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan reported that nearly 9,855 projects were completed between July 2022 and May 2025. Of these, around 160 have undergone validation, with 15 confirmed as "non-existent."
"Well, there are findings. The ghost project is actually one that has already been validated and really found not to be there. And it has been declared, it has been submitted, completed, and collected. The funds have been collected as well. They're non-existent for the time being," Bonoan explained.
Bonoan said most of the missing projects were concentrated in Bulacan's first district, with a few others spread across different regions.
Two of these projects have already been validated by the Commission on Audit's anti-fraud committee, which is now conducting a more thorough investigation.