MANILA — The Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) road repair and digging projects are becoming a concern that both ordinary citizens and senators are raising the same questions.

• COA tells DPWH to address delays in projects worth P96 billion

For tricycle driver Rey Mariano, snail-paced road repairs are dangerous especially when it rains.

For student Kurt Tusing, road repairs give passengers like him a harder time to catch a ride.

Eeven senators during Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee’s deliberation of the DPWH’s proposed P822.2 billion budget for next year took a dig at the agency’s road repairs.

“Ano ba tong DPWH? Yung kalsadang ito matibay pa maganda pa binubungkal na. Tapos yung sirang-sira na kalsada doon, hindi ginagawa... We've been questioning that. Kahit ako nagtatanong ako, bakit inuna itong sinira na okay pa man ito. Sinira na para ayusin tapos yung sa unahang part ng kalsada sirang sira talaga. Dapat yun ang ayusin natin,” Sen. Ronald dela Rosa asked during the hearing.

In his defense, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan pointed out that not all roads that look good are of good quality below the ground.

He said roads’ preventive maintenance are necessary to prolong the lifespan of roads and avoid a bigger fund requirement in the event that it incurs serious damage, the secretary said.

“Kaya yung medyo maganda-ganda pa ang tingin ninyo but actually the pavement starts to deteriorate. So, it will be more economical actually to repave it at that point in time so that we can save actually yung base and sub-base,” Bonoan said.

“We have to prevent the further deterioration of the sub-base and base before, before anything else so we 're just going to replace yung yung running. Yung running course lang naman ho. Now, yung talagang bumagsak na po yung nakikitang talagang worst na worst that has to be reconstructed,” he added.

Bonoan’s explanation, however, failed to convince Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

“It goes against ah the inputs of our senses hindi ba? Kita ng mata mo ayos pa eh, sasabihin sa'yo hindi sa ilalim bulok na yan. And yet may nakita ka man na tunay na bulok na hindi naman inaaksyunan,” Pimentel said.

The DPWH must have a scientific basis to chose what road should be repaired, the senator stressed.

“Meron ho yung kwan ang computer system that is actually... monitored the conditions of the roads and bridges all over the country. And this is the basis for the program that we are implementing right now. We now have a good inventory of ah the conditions of the roads and the bridges as well,” Bonoan said.

Asphalt roads, according to the Public Works chief, can last up to 15 years. Concrete roads meantime, are good up to 25 years.

But the durability must be coupled by preventive maintenance, Bonoan added.

Still, Sen. JV Ejercito was curious as to how many overlaying sessions should a seemingly perfect road receive as part of its preventive maintenance.

“Ano ba talaga ang life span kahit maganda na? Eh halos tatlong patong na ito (ng asphalt). Halos kapantay na nya yung kalsada,” Ejercito said, while showing a photo of a newly-re-asphalted road somewhere in San Juan City.

For next year, the DPWH will have a P15 billion fund for road and bridge repairs.

According to Bonoan, roads also suffer a lot, because here in the Philippines, heavy trucks can freely use thoroughfares, unlike in other countries.

This prompted Pimentel to ask Bonoan, why don’t they just amend the rules for road users?

“To me, it’s too liberal... the other challenge here is how to impose the axle load limit,” Bonoan said.

EXPANDING THE PUBLIC WORKS FUND COVERAGE

Sen. Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, believes the DPWH’s public works fund must also be expanded since there are already places in the county that no longer needs road, but other projects.

Sen. Nancy Binay meantime took a dig at DPWH for leaving poles in the middle of their widened roads, which brings a lot of danger to motorists and pedestrians, especially at night.

Bonoan, however, said poles are part of cooperatives’ obligation.

“This is one of the challenges. Over the years, coordinating with coops (cooperatives). Part one is the valuation of the cost of transferring the poles and the ability of coops to transfer it by themselves,” Bonoan said.

“Even before they (cooperatives) put their poles there... because of the intricacies in the valuation and locating the electric poles. Lately, because of this predicament, we sat down with NEA (National Electrification Administration)who oversee itong mga electric cooperatives,” he added.

“Pero next year, you have a P2 billion allocation. Kahit papano, meron na tayong pang-usod ng mga poste na yan,” Binay said.

Bonoan meantime admitted that the much-awaited Central Luzon Flood Control Program project will only finally commence later of year 2025, with a projected time of completion by year 2029.

The DPWH chief was also quizzed about the status of the agency’s master plan of flood control project.

“If you look at the master plan started in 2017, the project was scheduled to be completed in 2024... we wanted to find out if we are on the right track on the completion of the Metro Manila Flood Management Project in 2024,” Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said.

The plan includes the need to maintain the existing, 36 flood control project stations, putting up of 24 new ones and improvement of new supporting infrastructures along critical waterways in Metro Manila.

“The rehabilitation existing pumping stations and construction of new pumping stations.. we have completed 4 (out of the 20),” Bonoan reported.

Meanwhile, Sen. Grace Poe pressed Bonoan about what she discovered as a seeming “duplication” of public works projects like multi-purpose projects.

“There are several duplicate or similar items. multipurpose P35 million and P7 million. They are worded in the same manner. Are these the same or na-chop-chop lang?,” Poe asked.

“If the same project description, it’s considered duplication... this is what we call the multiple entry,” Bonoan said.

Such situation is usually resolved with the DPWH choosing the higher fund allotted for the same project, Bonoan said.

The smaller fund will be reverted back to the National Treasury, he said.

“Ang problema dito it doubles the potential misuse,” Poe said.

Angara meantime is looking at finishing the committee deliberation of proposed agency budgets “in two weeks,” in time for the plenary debate when Congress’s session resumes on November 6.