Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon announced Friday the immediate suspension of all road reblocking projects nationwide, citing potential corruption in such activities.
“There is a high likelihood that there is corruption in that kind of project. But we will establish that first,” Dizon said during a press conference.
The move follows reports of questionable road projects in Bocaue, Bulacan, and Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. However, Dizon clarified that road maintenance on already damaged roads will continue.
A new department order is set to be issued, which will include safeguards to prevent corrupt practices in reblocking projects.
In a related move, Dizon also announced plans to revise the “Levels of Authority” (LOA) for civil works procurement. The previous thresholds—raised in 2022 by former DPWH Secretaries Manuel Bonoan and Mark Villar—will be lowered to tighten oversight. Currently, the district-level LOA stands at ₱150 million (up from ₱100 million), and ₱400 million at the regional level (from ₱300 million).
The DPWH is also rolling out transparency reforms, including a citizen participatory audit and an online transparency portal, to allow public monitoring of projects from bidding to completion.
Dizon’s crackdown comes after the agency confirmed that at least 421 of 8,000 infrastructure projects nationwide were identified as “ghost projects,” or non-existent.
