'Everyone is in for a big surprise,' Vince Dizon says of Giovanni Lopez taking DPWH helm

MANILA — Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Tuesday said that those who expect a "more lenient" Giovanni Lopez, who is set to replace him in the corruption-ridden agency, "will be in for a big, big surprise."

Dizon of the Department of Public Works and Highways will be swapping posts with Lopez, who heads the Department of Transportation, Malacañang announced on Monday.

"Kung iniisip nila na si (If they're thinking that) Sec. Banoy is going to be easier or more lenient than me, I think everyone is in for a big, big surprise, because I think the opposite is true," Dizon said in a joint news conference with Lopez, who is also a lawyer and a certified public accountant.

Lopez said that having no debt of gratitude or "utang na loob" with anyone in the DPWH would allow him not to second-guess decisions and promptly investigate or suspend anyone involved in corruption.

"I've never had a relationship with anyone here professional or otherwise," he said.

He said reforms are already being implemented in the DPWH and that his task is to make them permanent and ensure they work consistently.

The Cabinet revamp came after Dizon was dragged into Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Panfilo Lacson's debate on whether or not there are anomalous flood control projects in Taguig.

Asked about the switching of posts, Dizon, who returns to the transportation department, said that he has "full trust and confidence" in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s wisdom.

"Kaya kami nilalagay dito sa mga posisyon kasi gusto niya (Marcos) talagang guluhin namin 'yung sistemang mali at korap," said Dizon.

(The reason why we're appointed here is that he wants us to shake the corrupt system.)

Lopez meanwhile said he was "surprised" with the appointments but "did not ask why."

In the press conference, Dizon told Lopez to pay "very, very close attention" to Bulacan, which is one of the hotspots of the flood-control corruption scandal.

Some of the province's government engineers face investigation related to the corruption controversy, including former DPWH Bulacan First District Engr. Henry Alcantara.

The Bulacan First District Engineering Office "will be in good hands" with "fearless" Engr. Kenneth Edward Fernando, 33, who replaced Alcantara a year ago, Dizon said.

Fernando is "slowly but surely" fixing the infrastructure mess left by the previous leadership, he added.

Dizon also stressed that they do not have ambitions for higher office, not even for president of a homeowners' association, saying they are merely government workers.