Only those who have passed the rigorous District Engineer Candidates Course (DECC) may be designated and/or appointed to the District Engineer positions in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
This was stressed by DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan through Department Order No. 113, series of 2024, which reiterates the course requisite for DE position, on top of the prescribed qualifications standards (QS) encompassing performance, education and training, experience and outstanding accomplishments, potential and personality traits.
“Our District Engineers serve as the Department’s backbone, supervising each of the 196 District Engineering Office (DEO) across the country, and handling thousands of infrastructure projects yearly. It is therefore crucial to establish higher standard requirements to ensure that only the best qualified and most competent are appointed,” said Secretary Bonoan.
The District Engineer Candidates Course is a 20-day comprehensive, multi-discipline managerial course facilitated by the DPWH Human Resource and Administrative Service (HRAS) to ensure DEs have competencies in management, effective communication, public relations, and policy formulations to effectively manage technical, financial, resource, administrative, and legal matters in the DEOs of the Department.