Dizon: Marcos wants DPWH to complete pending projects by 2026

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon — File photo

APALIT, Pampanga — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon to complete all pending Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects, ideally by 2026, to ensure the agency can allocate resources properly and prioritize effectively.

Dizon revealed this in an interview on Friday, noting that the DPWH has a backlog of unfinished projects nationwide.

Asked about the completion target, he said, “None yet. We’re still listing them. This is all over the country. There are so many.”

The agency’s final approved budget for 2026 is P529.6 billion, down from the P881 billion initially requested.

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The unfinished projects include roads, bridges, classrooms, hospitals, and health centers. Dizon has visited several sites in Bicol, Quezon, Iloilo, and Metro Manila to assess progress.

In Pampanga, notable delayed projects include the 290-meter Sampaloc section of the Manila North Road (formerly MacArthur Highway) in Apalit and the 600-meter Apalit-Macabebe Road. After three years of delay, the Sampaloc project received a P35 million allocation from the Quick Reaction Fund of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, while the Apalit-Macabebe Road, with a five-year backlog, requires P40 million from the same source.

Dizon has instructed DPWH Central Luzon Director Arnold Ocampo and Pampanga First District Engineering Office chief Alfie Lejarde to complete the Sampaloc project by April.

“The problem before was that projects would start but remain unfinished. It would take years to complete,” Dizon said. “Once and for all, they need to be completed.” /mcm