Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and several top business organizations to conduct background checks on 14 newly appointed Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) executives, as part of a wider effort to promote transparency and integrity in the agency.
In letters sent to NBI Director Jaime Santiago, Institute of Corporate Directors chairman Benedicta Baladad, Management Association of the Philippines president Alfredo Panlilio, and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Enunina Mangio, Dizon said the collaboration aims to ensure that DPWH’s senior officials are “incorruptible and sincere in serving the Filipino people.”
The move follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive for Dizon to “clean up” and reform the DPWH—long seen as prone to corruption. Dizon emphasized that the vetting process reflects the administration’s policy of accountability, stating, “The President has repeatedly said that the DPWH should be cleaned up and not defended.”
The officials subject to vetting include senior undersecretary Emil K. Sadain and 13 other undersecretaries and assistant secretaries.
