MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said that the repair and maintenance of roads and bridges across the country will be the agency’s top priority in 2026.

Speaking at his first press conference of the year on Monday, January 12, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said the Maharlika Highway will undergo a “massive rehabilitation,” the first comprehensive repair of the road network since it was constructed more than four decades ago.

The Maharlika Highway — the country’s longest road network — stretches from Ilocos Norte in northern Luzon, runs through Eastern Visayas, and reaches as far as Zamboanga City in Mindanao. It covers several major thoroughfares, including MacArthur Highway and Andaya Highway.

Dizon said the rehabilitation is expected to cost around P16 billion, though he noted that the technical details and scope of the project are still being finalized and will be released in the coming weeks.

He said that the agency “will prove that even with a lower DPWH budget this year, we can accomplish more and repair more.” DPWH faced a significant budget cut for 2026 — of its proposed P881 billion, the government approved only P530 billion, following the flood control corruption controversy.

The agency also plans to complete several unfinished roads and bridges in 2026, including the San Agustin Bridge targeted for completion within the year, the Candaba Bridge along the Baliwag–Candaba–Sta. Ana Road in Pampanga, the Aganan Flyover in Iloilo, and the Tigasao–Pacifico Bridge in Siargao.

The DPWH will also target to finish the rehabilitation of EDSA by August, or eight months after the repairs started on December 24, 2025. C-5 is also being eyed to be repaired.

Ahead of the rainy season, the DPWH said it will move to address gaps in existing flood control projects. Government investigations and inspections in 2025 found that billions of pesos worth of flood control projects were either substandard or non-existent.

No more allocables

Dizon also announced sweeping changes in how infrastructure projects will be planned and funded, vowing to end the use of “allocables” and dismantle the palakasan system in budget preparation.

Under the proposed reforms, projects will need to be endorsed by local development councils, backed by plans, and budget allocations will be based on the specific needs of each area rather than political considerations.

Dizon said the finer details of the budget reforms are still being ironed out and are expected to be presented publicly in the coming weeks.

Procurement reforms are also in the pipeline, including requirements for beneficial ownership disclosure and changes in the composition of Bids and Awards Committees.

To support these reforms, DPWH will strengthen its transparency portal, including the publication of machine-readable documents to make project data more accessible to the public. – Rappler.com