DPWH secretary ‘Vince’ Dizon
Moving on with the total overhaul of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the agency will now begin filling nearly 2,000 vacant positions, with some to be filled through the promotion of ‘deserving’ employees.
This was announced by public works secretary Vivencio ‘Vince’ Dizon at Monday’s flag ceremony where he clarified that the hiring push will prioritize contractual or ‘job order’ personnel, many of whom have served for years on short-term contracts.
According to Dizon, he wants to raise the morale of the agency’s rank and file in order to complete his mission of bringing back the integrity and credibility of the DPWH.
“Gusto ko pong magpromote at mag-angat, unang una, i-angat muna natin ang mga deserving, honest, hard-working people already in DPWH—kasama na po ang mga job order employees natin ngayon,” he enthused.
He added that job order workers have the right and opportunity to move up, citing their long service despite limited benefits.
In the meantime, Dizon disclosed that many of the vacant positions are for Engineer II to Engineer V positions, which are tagged at salary grades (SG) 16 to 24, or a monthly pay ranging from ₱43,560 to ₱98,185.
Applicants for Engineer II must have a relevant engineering degree and a board exam license while higher positions require additional years of experience and training.
Likewise, Dizon also announced that, as part of the reforms he us implementing, salaries will no longer be delayed with the promise of assistant secretary Michael Villa franca that the disbursement of salaries has been set within seven days from cutoff.
“Hindi po pupuwedeng nade-delay ang suweldo. Kinausap ko na si Asec. Mike at ang kanyang pangako (ay) within seven days from cutoff, lahat po ng suweldo ay mababayaran—walang labis, walang kulang,” he asserted, vowing to personally oversee the timely payment of wages.
He added that employees should directly report to him any delays while warning that those responsible for late salary releases will be held accountable.
“Lahat po kayo eh bugbog sa trabaho, lalong lalo na iyong mga nasa field, hindi po pupuwede hindi kayo sineswelduhan nang tama at on time,” he noted.
In ending, the public works chief explained that the DPWH is seeking ”fresh blood’ engineers. The agency has been undergoing major changes in its leadership and its employees since several of its officials have been implicated in facilitating the alleged ‘kickback’ scheme tied to government infrastructure projects, as well as rigging and manipulating bids.