DPWH Relieves Four District Engineers
Four Department of Public Works and Highways officials were relieved from their posts over alleged corruption and irregularities, pna.gov.ph reported Monday.
Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez issued separate memoranda on Nov. 9, 2026, targeting engineering offices across Luzon and Mindanao, according to the Daily Tribune.
Allegations Against Regional Officials
The agency removed District Engineer Hermon Ines of the Tarlac 1st District Engineering Office and Acting District Engineer Clifton Valencerina of the Apayao 2nd District Engineering Office following reports of corruption, pna.gov.ph reported. Engineer Saidale Mitmug of the Cotabato 3rd District Engineering Office faced relief under similar allegations, Daily Tribune reported.
Lanao del Norte 2nd District Engineer Amron Mitmug was sacked for submitting false supporting documents for infrastructure projects under the proposed 2027 budget, Inquirer reported. Lopez stated that Amron Mitmug personally signed certificates of implementability covering 59 projects that investigators later found to be unimplementable.
Enforcement of One-Strike Policy
Lopez asserted that the “one-strike policy” implemented by former Secretary Vince Dizon remains in force, subjecting personnel involved in questionable activities to immediate investigation, pna.gov.ph reported. The policy follows directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to remove government employees involved in corruption, according to the Daily Tribune.
The new agency chief warned regional directors and district engineers against treating certificates of implementability as mere formalities. Lopez cited Dizon’s previous letter to the Senate recommending the exclusion of 295 projects lacking complete documentary requirements worth P8.8 billion in the 2027 National Expenditure Program, Inquirer reported.
Inspection of Bulacan Dike
Amid the personnel shakeup, Lopez inspected the ongoing reconstruction of a flood-control dike in Barangay Frances, Calumpit, Bulacan, on Nov. 9, 2026, Inquirer reported. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. originally discovered the substandard and inadequate structure earlier this year in a province considered ground zero of last year’s flood control scandal.
Lopez stated that the replacement project is more than halfway complete and expected to finish in the first half of next year. The higher and sturdier dike aims to protect residents from severe flooding caused by prolonged rains.
Why Amron Mitmug Was Relieved and DPWH Policies
Why was Amron Mitmug relieved from the Lanao del Norte 2nd DEO?
Amron Mitmug was relieved for submitting false supporting documents after personally signing certificates of implementability for 59 projects that were later found to be unimplementable, Inquirer reported.
Who initiated the one-strike policy currently used by the DPWH?
The policy was initiated by former Public Works Secretary and current Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, Daily Tribune reported.
When is the Calumpit dike project expected to finish?
Secretary Lopez stated during his Nov. 9, 2026 inspection that the project is scheduled for completion in the first half of next year, pna.gov.ph reported.
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