Dizon-Lopez swap won’t affect DOTr, DPWH budgets, says Ejercito

MANILA, Philippines — Sec. Vince Dizon swapping posts with Sec. Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez won’t affect the 2027 budget of the two concerned agencies, according to Sen. JV Ejercito on Monday.

Dizon will return to the helm of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), where he was head from Feb. 21 to Sept. 1, 2025, while Lopez will transfer to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as its new chief.

Asked whether the swap would create a problem amid the ongoing budget deliberations in the upper chamber, Ejercito said it won’t.

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“Normally, talagang problema ’yan kasi middle of budget season na, but having worked with both Sec. Vince Dizon and Sec. Banoy Lopez, I’m quite familiar with both of them,” Ejercito told Senate reporters in an interview.

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(Normally, that would indeed be a problem because we are already in the middle of the budget season.)

READ: Dizon, Lopez swap agencies in latest Cabinet revamp

“I don’t think it will be a difficult transition kasi familiar naman na, I have worked with Sec. Vince already as DOTr [head]. Si Secretary Banoy naman as DPWH [head], I’m hoping that he will continue the reforms that we started after the flood control issue,” he added.

(I don’t think it will be a difficult transition because I am already familiar with both of them. I have worked with Secretary Vince before when he headed the DOTr. As for Secretary Banoy, I hope he will continue the reforms we started following the flood control issue.)

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Ejercito, who chairs the Senate committee on finance, made the remark after President Marcos on Monday reassigned previous DOTr chief Lopez to DPWH and former DPWH head Dizon to the DOTr.

Dizon also served as DOTr’s secretary from February to September of 2025 before being assigned to the DPWH.

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As finance panel chair, Ejercito said that, thankfully, he handles the budget for the two agencies.

Moreover, the two-week plenary deliberations on the 2027 budget will begin on Nov. 23 and will continue through the first week of December, Ejercito said.

President’s prerogative

Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson also echoed Ejercito’s statement that the swap won’t affect the agencies’ budgets.

“Pamilyar naman si Sec. Vince sa DOTr, kasi galing sya ’don, di’ba? Si Sec. Banoy, I think he is capable of handling DPWH,” Lacson explained.

(Secretary Vince is already familiar with the DOTr because he came from there, right? As for Secretary Banoy, I think he is capable of handling the DPWH,)

He also commented on the swap, saying, “Prerogative ng Presidente ’yun eh, bakit natin pinapakialaman?”

(That’s the prerogative of the President, so why would we interfere?)

No effect on Ombudsman’s Taguig probe

Furthermore, Lacson also does not see the reassignment as something that would affect the ongoing probe of the Office of the Ombudsman on alleged ghost infrastructure and illegal reclamation projects in Taguig, with which the DPWH previously helped Lacson investigate.

READ: DPWH stops Taguig reclamation projects

Lacson explained, “Nasa Ombudsman na ’yon eh. Nag-backtrack, fact-finding na sila sa Ombudsman. So papunta na sa preliminary investigation. Halos kumpleto na ’yung ebidensya.”

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(The case is already with the Ombudsman. They have backtracked and conducted fact-finding there, so the case is now heading toward a preliminary investigation. The evidence is almost complete.) /cb