The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has begun holding job fairs in universities across the country to recruit fresh graduates and graduating students as part of efforts to reform the agency and replace corrupt officials and personnel. At a media conference, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the recruitment drive started in January, noting that the agency needs to bring in a new generation of engineers, architects, and accountants. "The agency needs to be reformed because it has been like this for a decade. It is not the job of the DPWH to investigate and file cases," Dizon said. According to Dizon, the DPWH has conducted job fairs at Mapúa University, De La Salle University, Batangas State University, and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He said around 700 job applications were submitted during the job fair at Mapúa on Thursday, while about 500 applications were received from the other universities. Dizon said he was encouraged that many young Filipinos remain willing to serve the country despite the agency’s damaged reputation. "It is heartening that despite the lack of trust in the DPWH, the sense of patriotism and the willingness to participate among the youth is still there, despite how bad the reputation is and the almost total lack of trust. That is the job of the DPWH. The youth still want to help," he said. Meanwhile, Dizon clarified that the DPWH’s role in the investigation into alleged anomalous flood control projects is limited to assisting authorities. He said the agency will cooperate with the Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Justice, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine National Police by providing documents and other evidence needed for the investigation and case build-up. "The job of the DPWH is to fix roads, build new roads, fix bridges, build new bridges."
