Secretary of Public Works and Highways

The secretary of public works and highways (Filipino: Kalihim ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan) is the head of the Department of Public Works and Highways in the national government of the Philippines, and is a member of the president's Cabinet.^[1]

Secretary of Public Works and Highways
Kalihim ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan
Official seal of the Department of Public Works and Highways
Incumbent Vince Dizon (ad interim) since September 1, 2025
Style	The Honorable
Member of	Cabinet
Appointer	The president with the consent of the Commission on Appointments
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Baldomero Aguinaldo
Formation	January 21, 1899 (126 years ago) (1899-01-21)
Website	www.dpwh.gov.ph

The current secretary is Vince Dizon who assumed the post on September 1, 2025, on an ad interim basis as he has yet to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments.^[2]

List of secretaries of public works and highways

Secretary of Public Works and Communications (1899)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Maximino Paterno	May 7, 1899	November 13, 1899	Emilio Aguinaldo

Secretary of Public Works and Communications (1933–1935)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Governor-General
	Filemon Perez	January 1, 1933	January 2, 1933	Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
	Antonio de las Alas (1889–1983)	January 26, 1933	November 15, 1935
				Frank Murphy

Secretary of Public Works and Communications (1935–1941)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Antonio de las Alas (1889–1983)	November 15, 1935	February 18, 1936	Manuel L. Quezon
	Mariano Jesús Cuenco (1888–1964)	1936	1939
	José Avelino (1890–1986)	1939	1941
	Sotero Baluyut (1889–1975) [3]	1941	1941

Secretary of National Defense, Public Works, Communications and Labor (1941–1944)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Basilio Valdes (1892–1970)	December 24, 1941	August 1, 1944	Manuel L. Quezon

Commissioner of Public Works and Communications (1942–1943)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Chairman of the Philippine Executive Commission
	Quintín Paredes (1884–1973)	January 26, 1942	October 14, 1943	Jorge B. Vargas

Minister of Public Works and Communications (1942–1943)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Quintín Paredes (1884–1973)	October 19, 1943	August 24, 1944	Jose P. Laurel
	Jose Paez	August 24, 1944	1945

Secretary of Public Works and Communications (1945–1951)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Sotero Cabahug (1891–1963)	March 8, 1945	May 28, 1946	Sergio Osmeña
	Ricardo Nepomuceno	May 28, 1946	1949	Manuel Roxas
				Elpidio Quirino
	Prospero Sanidad (1897–1969)	June 29, 1949	1951

Secretary of Public Works, Transportation and Communications (1951–1978)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Sotero Baluyut (1889–1975)	January 6, 1951	1952	Elpidio Quirino
	Pablo Lorenzo	May 6, 1952	1953
	Vicente Ylagan Orosa Sr.	March 10, 1954	1955	Ramon Magsaysay
	Florencio Moreno	April 30, 1955	December 30, 1961
				Carlos P. Garcia
	Marciano Bautista	1961	1962	Diosdado Macapagal
	Paulino Cases	1962	1962
	Brigido Valencia	1962	1963
	Jorge Abad	1963	1965
	Antonio Raquiza (1908–1999)	1966	1968	Ferdinand Marcos
	Rene Espina (1929–2019)	1968	1969
	Manuel Syquio	1969	1970
	Alfredo Juinio (1918–2003)	1975	1978

Secretary of Public Highways (1974–1978)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Baltazar Aquino	1974	1978	Ferdinand Marcos

Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Communications (1978–1981)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Alfredo Juinio (1918–2003)	1974	1981	Ferdinand Marcos

Minister of Public Highways (1978–1981)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Baltazar Aquino	1978	1979	Ferdinand Marcos
	Vicente Paterno (1925–2014)	1979	1980
	Jesus Hipolito	1980	1981

Minister of Public Works and Highways (1981–1987)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Jesus Hipolito	1981	1986	Ferdinand Marcos
	Rogaciano Mercado	February 25, 1986	November 20, 1986	Corazon Aquino
	Vicente Jayme	December 2, 1986	February 11, 1987

Secretary of Public Works and Highways (since 1987)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Vicente Jayme	February 11, 1987	September 1, 1987	Corazon Aquino
	Fiorello Estuar	September 21, 1987	October 26, 1987
	Juanito Ferrer	October 27, 1987	November 4, 1988
	Fiorello Estuar	November 5, 1988	December 31, 1990
	Jose de Jesus	January 4, 1991	March 1, 1993
				Fidel V. Ramos
	Eduardo Mir Acting	March 1, 1993	June 1, 1993
	Gregorio Vigilar	June 1, 1993	January 20, 2001
				Joseph Estrada
	Simeon Datumanong (1935–2017)	January 20, 2001	January 15, 2003	Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
	Bayani Fernando (1946–2023)	January 15, 2003	April 15, 2003
	Florante Soriquez Acting	April 15, 2003	February 15, 2005
	Jun Ebdane (born 1948)	February 15, 2005	February 1, 2007
	Manuel Bonoan (born 1945) Acting	February 5, 2007	July 3, 2007
	Jun Ebdane (born 1948)	July 4, 2007	October 22, 2009
	Victor Domingo	October 22, 2009	June 30, 2010
	Rogelio Singson (born 1948)	June 30, 2010	June 30, 2016	Benigno Aquino III
	Rafael Yabut (born 1953) Acting	June 30, 2016	July 31, 2016	Rodrigo Duterte
	Mark Villar (born 1978)	August 1, 2016	October 6, 2021
	Roger Mercado (born 1951) Acting	October 13, 2021	June 30, 2022
	Manuel Bonoan (born 1945) [4]	June 30, 2022	August 31, 2025	Bongbong Marcos
	Vince Dizon (born 1974) Interim	September 1, 2025	Incumbent

External links

• DPWH website