“Mas mabuting hindi mailabas ang pondo kaysa masayang” — Tuguegarao-born Lopez takes over as DPWH chief

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan — A son of Tuguegarao is now leading the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), with newly appointed Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez vowing stricter scrutiny of infrastructure projects to prevent the waste of public funds.

During the turnover ceremony on October 27, 2026, Lopez said he would rather withhold funding for projects that lack sufficient supporting documents or are not ready for implementation than risk wasting government money.

“Ang mindset ko ngayon, mas maganda na hindi mai-release ang pondo rather than it becomes a wastage of funds kasi hindi mo ma-implement, mag-sasavings na lang siya, babalik sa pera ng bayan…” Lopez said.

He stressed that unspent allocations should be returned to government coffers rather than released for projects that cannot be properly implemented.

Lopez also vowed to make permanent the reforms introduced by his predecessor, former DPWH Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon, particularly in budget preparation, procurement, fund disbursement, and project implementation.

“Alalahanin po natin ang naging problema dito. Problema sa pagpeprepare ng budget, nagsimula po d’yan. Nagkaproblema sa procurement. Problema rin sa disbursement…Sa sobrang galing nga nila, nakapag-disburse sila nang malaki wala namang proyekto kaya nga nagka-ghost project. So iyan iyong mga binago at binabago ni Secretary Vince. At ngayon po ang trabaho ko ay gawin itong permanente,” he added.

Lopez was appointed DPWH secretary on October 27, 2026, after previously serving in various positions in government, including leadership roles in the transportation sector.

From Tuguegarao to national leadership

Born and raised in Tuguegarao City, Lopez completed his secondary education at the University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao in 1996 as a member of Class 4 – Mahatma Gandhi.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy degree, graduating cum laude from St. Paul University Philippines. He passed the Certified Public Accountant Board Examination in 2000 and later obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from San Beda College of Law. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2007.

Lopez began his government career at the Natural Resources Development Corporation, where he served as acting vice president and executive assistant from 2008 to 2009.

He later joined the Department of Transportation (DOTr), serving as director for legal services and assistant secretary for procurement and project implementation from 2017 to 2021.

From 2021 to 2022, he served as undersecretary for finance before becoming executive director of the Land Transportation Office from 2022 to 2023.

He returned to the DOTr in February 2025 as senior undersecretary for administration, finance and procurement. He subsequently served as acting DOTr secretary from September 2025 until October 2026.

As he assumes leadership of the DPWH, Lopez is expected to carry forward the reforms he has pledged to institutionalize, particularly tighter controls over infrastructure funding and stronger accountability in the implementation of government projects.