Marcos vows to stamp out corruption in DPWH — Vince Dizon

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will do everything necessary to ensure that corruption is eliminated from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday.

Dizon made the statement during an inspection of Culiat Bridge II along Congressional Avenue in Quezon City, hours before Marcos was scheduled to deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“Tuloy-tuloy ang ginagawa ng ating Pangulo, at hindi siya matitigil hangga’t talagang, di lang managot ang dapat managot, pero talagang hindi na mauulit itong napakalaking pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan,” Dizon told reporters.

(The President's efforts will continue, and he will not stop until those responsible are held accountable and this massive plunder of public funds is never repeated.)

The DPWH came under intense scrutiny in 2025 over alleged corruption involving flood control projects, with lawmakers, public officials, and contractors implicated in congressional and government investigations.

Dizon said corruption had been entrenched in the DPWH for decades and acknowledged that addressing the problem would not be easy.

Asked what he expected Marcos to say in his SONA later in the day, Dizon said the President would likely emphasize the government's continuing efforts to curb corruption.

“Maririnig natin sa kanya na kahit na mayroon nang mga nagawa at marami-rami nang nagawang reporma at aksyon para managot ang mga dapat managot, hindi ito titigil. Tuloy-tuloy pa rin ito,” Dizon said.

(We will hear from him that even though much has already been done, including reforms and actions to hold those responsible accountable, these efforts will not stop. They will continue.)

In his 2025 SONA, Marcos vowed to go after officials involved in the misuse of funds intended for infrastructure projects.

Subsequent investigations into alleged irregularities in flood control projects implicated several high-ranking officials, including Dizon’s predecessor, former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.— MCG, GMA News