DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon named new officials to lead the agency’s Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, replacing individuals implicated in the questioned flood control projects in the province.
The DPWH is poised to carry out a full reshuffle of all district engineers and regional directors by January 2026 as part of an internal “cleansing” drive following corruption allegations linked to anomalous flood control projects, Dizon said.
Dizon announced that Kenneth Fernando was designated acting district engineer, while Paul Gumabas was appointed assistant district engineer.
They replaced former district engineers Henry Alcantara and Brice Ericson Hernandez who were deeply linked to alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
The appointments came amid heightened scrutiny following findings by the Commission on Audit (COA) of alleged irregularities amounting to P297 million in flood control projects in Bulacan.
Dizon also confirmed the appointment of retired police major general Rommel Tello as DPWH Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations in Luzon. He clarified, however, that Tello is not the regional director for Central Luzon, a post currently held by Roseller Tolentino.
Tello was among several retired police and military officials brought into the DPWH in late 2025 after Dizon assumed office, part of what the secretary described as a move to “cleanse the agency” amid persistent corruption issues.
Tello previously served as Director IV at the Office for Transportation Security.
Dizon warned the newly appointed officials against engaging in corrupt practices, stressing the urgency of delivering concrete solutions to Bulacan residents who have long endured flooding.
“Our people in Bulacan need solutions. Yes, they want accountability, but they also need solutions because they are suffering every day—practically six months a year—due to recurring floods,” Dizon said.
COA earlier filed four Fraud Audit Reports (FARs) with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, citing what it described as “rampant irregularities” in flood control projects implemented by the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office.
Dizon said the reshuffle was intended to restore integrity and accountability in the agency after several officials were implicated in what he described as a flood control scandal, saying he has lost confidence in some officials whose names have surfaced in the investigations.
The DPWH chief said the overhaul of district and regional directors is already underway and is expected to be completed within the first month or month and a half of 2026.
He said that many officials linked to the controversy have already been replaced, particularly those who have been charged or jailed.
The planned overhaul traces back to Dizon’s initial directive upon assuming office in September 2025, when he asked for courtesy resignations from senior officials across the agency, including undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, bureau chiefs, regional directors and district engineers.
Some personnel implicated in alleged irregularities have since faced administrative and criminal action. Graft and malversation complaints have been filed against 21 officials and contractors in La Union and Davao Occidental, while the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office was reconstituted with new officials after charges were filed against its former leadership.
He said the reshuffle would include regional directors and not just district engineers adding the process covers both levels of leadership and forms part of broader internal reforms, stressing that accountability measures are already being enforced.
Meanwhile, DPWH Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III said the agency has expanded its internal cleansing efforts, with administrative proceedings now underway against 49 personnel, including 40 placed under preventive suspension. He said four personnel have already been dismissed from service.
Bernabe added that criminal cases have been filed against 63 individuals before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with alleged flood control irregularities.
