MANILA, Philippines — Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has once again brushed off rumors of an electoral bid in 2028, clarifying that his hands-on field inspections are purely aimed at accelerating long-delayed infrastructure projects rather than building political mileage.
Speaking during a forum organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines on Monday, Dizon emphasized that his routine site checks—mirroring those conducted by Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez—stem from a commitment to delivery rather than personal ambition.
“Kami ni Sec. Banoy, hindi naman kami politiko e. Itaga niyo sa bato, you will never see us on the ballot,” Dizon stated.
According to the Public Works chief, cabinet secretaries must personally inspect ongoing developments to counter what he identified as a deeply rooted culture of complacency within regional Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) offices and select attached agencies of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
“The culture of these departments, unfortunately, is really a culture of just leaving things as they are. There is zero sense of urgency in these departments. A district engineer sees an unfinished road, balewala. An unfinished bridge, balewala. They don’t care,” he explained.
Dizon stressed that direct executive intervention remains necessary to force accountability and speed up construction timelines.
”But if the Secretary himself goes there and says ‘Hey, hindi pupwede ‘to. Kailangan ‘to, may timeline. Kailangan kayo, may quality control. Kailangan kayo, on budget. Not to mention pag nagnakaw kayo, kulong kayo, gaya ng iba niyong kasamahan na nasa Payatas na ngayon.’ Kung hindi namin gagawin yun, hindi magbabago,” he added.
Highlighting the impact of stringent administrative monitoring, Dizon noted that stalled initiatives can be rushed to completion when officials are closely supervised.
“Pag pinukpok namin sila— 6 months, natatapos. Forty-five days, natatapos,” he said.