Iloilo City backs out of DPWH meeting amid shake-up

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City government has withdrawn from a coordination meeting set on September 3 by the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) amid looming leadership changes in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said the decision followed the order by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon for the courtesy resignation of all DPWH officials nationwide.

The directive affects undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, division heads, regional directors, and district engineers.

This is part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s nationwide campaign to eliminate corruption and irregularities in the agency.

“With all the developments, it would be better if we will just wait,” Treñas-Chu said on Tuesday.

She explained that any resolutions from the meeting could become irrelevant given the anticipated changes in ICDEO leadership.

The city was initially set to send representatives from the City Engineer’s Office to the meeting.

The agenda was expected to cover updates on infrastructure projects, multi-purpose building construction, traffic coordination for road works, and local permit issuances to expedite implementation.

Treñas-Chu said the city will proceed with its independent evaluation of flood control projects, with initial groundwork starting this month and results expected by November.

The review will be conducted by experts from the University of the Philippines and Central Philippine University, with support from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“We will continue to determine if some of the projects really cause flooding […] This is to ensure that we will have a scientific judgment and an appropriate solution,” she said.