Newly appointed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has widened the scope of his department’s purge, ordering more officials to submit unqualified courtesy resignations in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive to clean up the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
In a memorandum dated September 4, Dizon directed assistant directors, assistant district engineers, officers-in-charge of identified positions, and officials currently reassigned to other offices to tender their courtesy resignations.
The order follows an earlier directive dated September 1 that already required top DPWH officials, including undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, regional directors, and district engineers, to submit courtesy resignations.
“For immediate and strict compliance,” the memorandum read, noting that the resignations must be submitted no later than September 4, subject to civil service rules.
The move comes just days after Dizon took his oath as DPWH chief, succeeding Manuel Bonoan, who resigned under the principle of “command responsibility” following revelations of irregularities in multibillion-peso flood control projects.
Dizon earlier said the purge marked the start of a “clean sweep” to restore public trust in the department, ensure transparency, and guarantee that infrastructure funds are used properly.
“Ang unang-una ko pong order na ilalabas ay ang pag-order ng courtesy resignations top to bottom,” he said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
He added that the directive was the very first instruction he received from President Marcos. “Nag-usap po kami nang matagal kaninang umaga at ang sabi niya ‘linisin’ ang DPWH at ito po ang simula,” Dizon said.
