(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has accepted the resignation of Manuel Bonoan as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Malacañang announced on Sunday.
Bonoan’s resignation takes effect today, Sept. 1, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO). He will be replaced by Transportation Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon.
As DPWH chief, Dizon will lead the administration’s campaign against corruption, beginning with “a full organizational sweep of the department,” the PCO said.
Bonoan has been caught up in the controversy involving flawed, unfinished and non-existent flood-control projects.
The PCO said that in his resignation letter, Bonoan “expressed support for the President’s call for accountability, transparency, and reform within the DPWH.”
The President also created the Independent Commission to Investigate Flood Control Anomalies, the PCO said.
IN Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon gestures during a Land Transportation Office regional directors conference on March 6, 2025. PHOTO BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
The commission will make a comprehensive review of flood-control projects, identify irregularities, and recommend accountability measures, PCO said.
“These decisions reflect the administration’s firm resolve to clean up corruption, strengthen institutions, and deliver honest and effective public service under Bagong Pilipinas,” it added.
The President appointed Giovanni Lopez as acting secretary of the Department of Transportation “to guarantee uninterrupted service delivery” of the agency.
Lopez was sworn in as DOTr Undersecretary for Administration, Finance, and Procurement last February.
Prior to that, he was the chief of staff of the Office of the Secretary from 2020 to 2022 and held senior positions overseeing critical railway, aviation, and maritime infrastructure projects.
OUT Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan answers questions during the investigation on flood control projects by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Aug. 19, 2025. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO
DPWH Information Director Randy del Rosario said that they didn’t have any inkling that Bonoan would resign.
Del Rosario said he has yet to receive instructions related to Bonoan’s resignation.
“We don’t have a copy of his resignation letter. I was not instructed also to make a formal statement,” Del Rosario told The Manila Times.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who had exposed anomalous flood-control projects on the Senate floor, on Sunday said the President made both a “hard decision and good choice” in appointing Dizon as the new Public Works secretary.
“I have watched and followed Vince Dizon’s indefatigable, almost daily efforts to solve the numerous problems that beset the transportation sector,” Lacson said in a statement.
Senate President Francis Escudero wished Dizon well and prayed for his success “as he takes on the formidable task” of leading the DPWH.
Escudero said the Senate “stands ready” to support the reforms Dizon would pursue to ensure that public works are “delivered efficiently, transparently, with full accountability and in the service of the Filipino people.”
“The challenges before him are immense — but so is the opportunity to institute long-overdue reforms in the agency,” he said.
Sen. Loren Legarda wished Dizon the best in the “most difficult task” ahead.
“We are here to help him achieve our goal of transparency and upholding the public good,” she said in a text message.
Sen. JV Ejercito said Dizon “will be facing a very challenging and daunting task of restoring faith of the public in the scandal-ridden DPWH.”
“I wish him well and all the luck because he would need lots of it, maybe even a miracle to turn around the embattled department,” Ejercito said.
Sen. Joel Villanueva said Dizon’s appointment as DPWH secretary “will play a pivotal role in cleansing the agency.”
“His no-nonsense approach to governance as Transportation secretary will be crucial in his new appointment, especially with the full trust and confidence of the President,” Villanueva said.
Former lawmaker Joey Salceda welcomed Dizon’s appointment as the DPWH secretary.
“There is no better appointment for the DPWH than Secretary Vince Dizon. He has proven himself to be the fastest, most responsive, and most practical official across multiple administrations. His leadership style is no-nonsense and always focused on results,” Salceda, chairman of the Institute of Risk and Strategic Studies, said on Sunday.
He described Dizon as “solutions-based, decisive, and unafraid of difficult tasks.”
WITH REINA C. TOLENTINO
