Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has sent a clear, unmistakable message across the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH): performance time is now.

In one sweeping move, Dizon ordered a major reshuffle in 12 of 17 DPWH regional offices, formalized through appointment orders issued on January 22. The National Capital Region was spared—not because of immunity, but because it was already reset earlier, with Joel Limpengco installed as NCR regional director back in October.

This was no cosmetic change. This was a house-cleaning.

Officials were reassigned, swapped, promoted, and sidelined amid probes, lifestyle checks, retirements, and unresolved questions hounding the agency. Some moves were quiet. Others were loud. All were deliberate.

And among the most watched appointments was the designation of Engr. Oscar U. Dela Cruz as Officer-in-Charge, Regional Director of DPWH Region IV-B (MIMAROPA)—a post that does not come with comfort, but with pressure.

A CLEAR VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

Sources inside DPWH say the appointment of Dela Cruz reflects the trust and confidence of Secretary Vince Dizon, who is known to favor results over rhetoric and discipline over delay. In a department long battered by allegations of ghost projects, bloated contracts, and underperforming regions, Dizon is clearly betting on leaders who can deliver—and take heat.

Dela Cruz knows it.

During the formal turnover, the newly installed regional director did not posture or sugarcoat the challenge. Instead, he owned the burden.

He openly asked for the full cooperation of the rank and file of Region IV-B, stressing that leadership is not a solo act. “This position,” he said, “is a responsibility that requires brilliant people beside me.”

Then came the line that drew both laughter and truth.

“I don’t know if I should accept your congratulations—or your good luck.”

The joke landed because everyone in the room knew what it meant.

Region IV-B is not an easy assignment. It is an archipelagic region with logistical nightmares, infrastructure gaps, and communities that feel forgotten. To lead is to inherit unfinished work, old habits, and high expectations.

But Dela Cruz made his intention clear: he is not there to warm the chair.

He declared his goal bluntly—to make Region IV-B No. 1 in performance.

That is not ambition. That is a challenge—to his team, to entrenched systems, and to himself.

DIZON’S WARNING SHOT

Secretary Dizon’s reshuffle should be read for what it is: a warning shot.

Those under investigation were moved. Those retiring were replaced. Those trusted were promoted. And those now in charge, like Engr. Oscar U. Dela Cruz is expected to produce—or be replaced.

In Dizon’s DPWH, titles are temporary. Performance is permanent.

The message from the top is ruthless but fair: deliver clean projects, real roads, real bridges—or step aside.

For Region IV-B, the clock has started ticking.

And for Engr. Oscar U. Dela Cruz, congratulations—or good luck—may mean the same thing.

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