DPWH to start Maharlika rehab

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it targets to start the P16‑billion rehabilitation of the Maharlika Highway this year, as part of its broader infrastructure upgrade program for 2026.

“For this year, we will start the construction and completion of the Maharlika Highway. There will be massive rehabilitation starting this year,” Public Works and Highways Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said during a media briefing on Monday.

The estimate for the rehabilitation of Maharlika Highway is projected to cost at a minimum of P16 billion, Mr. Dizon said, noting that it could be higher given the massive stretch of the road network.

“The Maharlika has not been rehabilitated since it was built; it has not seen major rehabilitation,” he said.

The Maharlika Highway, previously known as the Pan-Philippine Highway, is a road and bridge network linking Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It is considered the longest road in the country stretching from Ilocos Norte, through Eastern Visayas and to Zamboanga City in Mindanao.

The agency did not provide a specific timeline for the Maharlika Highway upgrade, saying the planned rehabilitation is still under assessment.

DPWH is also targeting the rehabilitation of six additional key highways and bridges, including Circumferential Road 5 (C5) in Metro Manila, Andaya Highway, MacArthur Highway in Apalit, Pampanga, Buot-Taop Bridge in Cebu City, Oyungan Bridge in Iloilo, and Tubod-Nabuna Bridge in Aloran, Misamis Occidental.

“We will also work on C5, we are working on the design. This is the backbone used by trucks, which easily gets damaged. We are designing the rehabilitation of C5,” he said, adding that the rehabilitation work would commence within the first quarter of the year.

At present, the agency is also implementing the ongoing rehabilitation of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), which is expected to be fully completed by May.

The DPWH is confident to complete the EDSA rehabilitation by the May 31 target, Mr. Dizon said, adding that DPWH is working double time to finish the project by the deadline.

Meanwhile, the agency will also further strengthen its transparency portal to make machine readable files available online, he said.

Last year, the agency announced that it is ramping efforts to address corruption issues by creating a transparency portal that provides information on the agency’s projects.

Mr. Dizon said that he has also relieved eight regional and district officials from their post as part of the agency’s ongoing investigation into the flood control scandal. The agency has also implemented a major reshuffle among its regional and assistant regional directors.

At the same briefing, Mr. Dizon also announced that Ricardo P. Bernabe III will serve as the spokesperson of the department for all legal matters.

Currently, Mr. Bernabe serves as the undersecretary for the information management service, stakeholders relations service and legislative liaison office. — Ashley Erika O. Jose