Manila: Malaca±ang on Monday downplayed calls to abolish the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over alleged corruption in multi-billion-peso flood control projects, stating that the government prefers to weed out erring officials rather than dismantle the entire agency.

According to Philippines News Agency, the proposal was raised by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who earlier cited long-standing irregularities in the department, including reports of rigged bidding and collusion between contractors and project engineers.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro conveyed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s stance against scrapping the DPWH, emphasizing that the agency still has career officials and personnel who perform their duties with integrity. Castro noted, "Not everyone leading or working at the DPWH can be said to have committed wrongdoing. There are still public servants and officials who fulfill their duties."

Rather than total abolition, Castro stated that the administration intends to purge corrupt personnel from the department. "Right now, there is no thought of abolishing it because what should be removed are those who are at fault. With the help of Secretary Vince Dizon, those who must be removed from the agency will be removed," she added.

To address entrenched corruption, President Marcos recently established the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), a body tasked with investigating anomalous public works projects over the past decade, with particular focus on flood control programs.