President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has reassigned Cabinet officials Vivencio “Vince” B. Dizon and Giovanni “Banoy” Z. Lopez to accelerate transport improvements and institutionalize reforms at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Monday.
Mr. Dizon will return to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), where he is expected to improve daily commuting conditions, reduce queues at the Land Transportation Office and eliminate fixers, while Mr. Lopez will take over the DPWH to strengthen safeguards against corruption and speed up infrastructure projects.
“We are shifting gears to accelerate reform. Secretary Dizon goes to DoTr to fix the daily commute. Secretary Lopez goes to DPWH to make sure the reforms there last,” PCO Secretary Lino Edgardo S. Cayetano said during a Palace press briefing, quoting Mr. Marcos.
Mr. Dizon served as Transportation secretary before being appointed to lead the DPWH in September 2025, following the resignation of Manuel M. Bonoan amid controversy over alleged irregularities in flood control projects. Mr. Lopez, who served as a DoTr undersecretary, assumed the department’s top post after Mr. Dizon’s transfer.
Mr. Cayetano said Mr. Dizon had been directed to accelerate the completion of critical mass transport projects to reduce travel time for workers and students. At the DPWH, he had opened thousands of projects to public scrutiny and pushed for the completion of long-delayed works, he said.
Mr. Lopez, a lawyer and certified public accountant, will be responsible for institutionalizing safeguards and embedding reforms into agency rules, processes and systems, according to Mr. Cayetano. He will also be tasked with expediting roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects.
The changes follow earlier reports of a possible Cabinet reshuffle that were denied by Mr. Dizon and Malacañang in early October.
The PCO said the President wants the two officials to focus on delivering faster public services and ensuring that reforms continue. – Erika Mae P. Sinaking