Newly appointed Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez has relieved four district engineers in Luzon and Mindanao amid an ongoing internal cleanup following controversies surrounding anomalous flood control projects.
Three of the officials—Hermon Ines of the Tarlac 1st District Engineering Office, Saidale Mitmug of the Cotabato 3rd District Engineering Office, and Clifton Valencerina, officer-in-charge of the Apayao 2nd District Engineering Office—were dismissed over corruption allegations.
In taking this action, Lopez maintained the policy established by his predecessor, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, which relieves DPWH officials based on credible allegations of wrongdoing.
The fourth official removed was District Engineer Amron Mitmug of the Lanao del Norte 2nd District Engineering Office. Lopez explained that Mitmug was relieved after certifying 59 projects for the 2027 national budget as ready for implementation, when subsequent document scrutiny and site inspections proved the projects were unfeasible.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has intensified its review of local project submissions to restore public trust following multi-billion-peso corruption scandals.
Lopez noted that the agency has already requested the Senate to reject any infrastructure proposals lacking proper documentation.
“There’s no problem in the funding of the projects for as long as there should be a basis,” said Lopez.
“Our reforms programs will continue. And this is not merely accountability, what we need right now is swift accountability,” he added.