DPWH, CSC Extend Dion Stay for One Year

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN – “This was first time in the history of DPWH,” quipped by the Department of Public Works & Highway District Engineer  Rodolfo Dion who is based here when the Department Secretary Mark Villar and Civil Service Commission (SCS) extended for one year his service after his mandatory retirement last January 19.

 IRON MAN - The 65 years old DPWH District Engineer Rodolfo “Boy” Dion (extreme left) is known in the country as a Triathlon Athlete where he dusted off younger competitors in swimming, cycling, and running.

He breezed with his speed bike, where sometimes he sneaked to smoke a cigarette, the more than hundred kilometers stretches of the cities of Dagupan and Baguio and the city of Dagupan and Subic Free Port Zone in Zambales. 

Dion, the chief of the Pangasinan Second Engineering Office, said before he bowed out from office at the age of 65, Second and Fourth District Congressmen Leopoldo Bataoil and Christopher de Venecia asked for his acquiescence if he wanted to extend his stay because they want to relay this to the Secretary who will ask the imprimatur of the Civil Service Commission.

“It is covered by law,” Dion, who is a professional long distance biker, said on his extension that was the first to happen in the annals of the DPWH in the country.

He added that he is physically and mentally fit to cope with the pressures of the works brought by the demands of the one city twelve towns’ congressional districts.

His extension order from the CSC took effect last Thursday.

“I’ll probably serve six months or up to July this year only,” he cited.

Dion major accomplishments when he served the DPWH for 41 years were the transformation to modernity of the AB Fernandez Avenue in Dagupan City and other parts of the city.

He said the four lanes with state-of-art drainage systems’ Avenue is the best infrastructure project he had implemented.

“It used to have knee-deep water whenever typhoons scourge the city,” he referred to the stretch of AB Fernandez Street where the government in early 2000s allotted P49 million for its elevation and construction of huge drainage system.

He cited his other major achievements in early and middle of 2000s were the turned around of the pathetic states of the highways in Arellano Bani,  Barangay Bunoan, Barangay Tapuac, and others.

He mentioned also the world class almost three kilometers four lanes highway the Judge Jose de Venecia Extension Highways, that can be compared with those expressways in Luzon, that was funded by billions of pesos from the national coffer and the Japanese loan.

“De Venecia Highway regional office iyon, pero joint kami”.

Dion said after finishing in 1976 his degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Pangasinan, he hurdled the board examination for engineering in 1977, and worked as Civil Engineer at the Department of Public and Highways based in San Carlos City, Pangasinan.