Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro confirmed that Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered all regional offices to digitize and secure copies of agency documents to prevent data loss in the future.
The directive follows the recent fire that hit a section of the DPWH office located along EDSA-Kamuning, Quezon City. According to the department, no flood control-related documents were affected by the incident.
“The DPWH confirms that no documents related to the ongoing investigation into the flood control anomalies were in the Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) building that caught fire in Quezon City today,” the agency stated.
During a press briefing held on Friday, October 24, Usec. Castro shared the details of Secretary Dizon’s confirmation.
“Unang-una po tungkol sa pagkakasunog ng parte ng DPWH building, sinabi naman po ni Secretary Vince [Dizon] na patuloy pa rin po ang pag-iimbestiga kung ano talaga ang nangyari dito,” she said.
Castro added that the DPWH chief immediately acted to safeguard critical records across all offices.
“Pero ang sabi po niya’y wala naman pong naapektuhan na mahahalagang mga dokumento, at inuutos na rin po niya sa mga regional offices na magsagawa na rin po ng digital copies para po kung ano ma’t mangyari ay protektado po ang mga dokumento,” she explained.
The Palace reiterated that the investigation into the cause of the fire remains ongoing, as the government works to ensure transparency and document security within the agency.