The Marcos administration is not considering the abolition of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) despite proposals from a lawmaker, Malacañang said Monday.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian earlier floated the idea of dismantling the department, saying corruption has become deeply embedded in its operations.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro clarified that the government has not considered abolishing the DPWH, stressing that the more appropriate action is to remove corrupt individuals rather than dismantle the whole department.
“First of all, not everyone managing or working in the DPWH has done wrong,” she said. “There are still public servants and officials who fulfill their obligations,” she added.
Castro said it would be unjust to condemn an entire agency over the wrongdoing of a few. “What should be removed are those who do wrong,” she emphasized. “It is not difficult to find out who they are, and with the help of Secretary Vince, those who must go will be removed.”
She also addressed DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon’s announcement to open around 2,000 vacant positions, which may be offered to new hires once personnel linked to irregularities are dismissed.
“Because many will be removed, as Secretary Vince said, this is a warning to those who will enter—you must be upright, you must have integrity, and you must truly serve according to the law and for the benefit of the people,” Castro said.
She stressed that the administration aims to reform and strengthen the DPWH, ensuring it is staffed with honest and capable individuals. The DPWH has come under intense scrutiny amid allegations of large-scale corruption involving flood-control infrastructure projects across the country.
Meanwhile, Dizon confirmed that the DPWH will hire nearly 2,000 staff nationwide to accelerate infrastructure services alongside the appointment of a new undersecretary.
The move follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to give staff-level and job order employees the opportunity to advance in their positions.
“We must elevate the deserving, honest, hardworking people here in DPWH, including job order employees. Just because you have been JO for a long time does not mean you do not have the right and opportunity to rise,” Dizon said.
He also announced the revival of the DPWH Cadet Engineering Program—first introduced in 2013—to attract young engineers to help in national infrastructure repair and development.
Dizon appointed Lara Esquibil, a graduate of the first batch of the Cadet Engineering Program, as the new officer-in-charge undersecretary for convergence and technical services, replacing Arrey Perez, who resigned amid allegations of meeting with contractors.
