Metro Manila road rehab among ‘priority areas’ of DPWH

Making our road safe. INQUIRER file photo / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has identified a number of “priority areas,” including the repair of main roads in Metro Manila and the elimination of black spots or places with a high rate of accidents.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan cemented such a commitment on Friday before the House appropriations committee during the department’s briefing for its proposed P718.36-billion budget for 2023.

Representatives of the 1-Rider party-list Ramon Gutierrez and Bonifacio Bosita pointed out the failures of the DPWH to ensure public road safety.

“Every year, thousands would perish from road crashes,” Gutierrez said.

The lawmaker went on to say that he wrote a letter to the DPWH on August 11, 2022, seeking detailed information on black spots nationwide, causes of the common road accidents, and measures implemented.

But according to Gutierrez, he only received a response from the DPWH on Thursday, September 15, after a series of follow-ups.

For his part, Undersecretary Maximo Carvajal said that 849 black spots had been identified nationwide since 2018, but only 148 of them have been corrected.

Gutierrez complained about the “bare” report forwarded to him by the agency, which, he said, did not include the requested data.

“It is a big point for us in asking for these reports because although I see the numbers, the road intersections, these are just the list of investigated black spots, but what our constituency wants to ask is what is being done about these black spots because it is bewildering to find out that we have 800 plus identified but only 140 plus have engineering interventions. What happens to the rest?” he asked.

Bonoan defended that this may be due to a “lapse of communication,” but nevertheless assured Gutierrez that the department would provide him with the information he sought.

“May I assure the good congressman that this is one of the priority areas that we are going to look into, because one death is one too many for us, actually, in addressing road safety,” he added.

‘Massive rehabilitation’

Bosita similarly inquired about accident-prone areas, which he blamed on faulty road engineering.

He recounted an accident he personally encountered along Andaya highway, noting that many motorists have likewise experienced road mishaps in the area.

“Iyong dahilan ng aksidente ko at ng iba pang nauna sa akin ay maituturing na maling construction sa area,” Bosita said.

(The reason for my accident and for those who also encountered accidents before me was due to the faulty road construction in the area.)

He then noted that the DPWH conducted reconstructions along the highway in less than a week after his accident.

However, Bosita contended that additional preventable road accidents occur due to the absence of early warning devices and exposed and excavated road sections.

“Libo-libong Pilipino ang namamatay taon-taon dahil po sa road crashes at isang parte po sa road safety ay itong tinatawag na engineering na kung saan ito po ay pangunahin na dapat sanang binibigyang [pansin] ng DPWH,” he noted.

(Thousands of Filipinos die every year because of road crashes, and engineering is a crucial aspect of road safety. Therefore, this should be among the priorities of the DPWH.)

In response to this complaint, Bonoan vowed that augmenting road safety measures is among the priorities of the DPWH.

“I can assure you that under my watch, road safety is one area that we will look into very seriously,” he stressed.

The DPWH chief later committed to likewise improve the roads and highways in Metro Manila.

“We are planning to undertake a massive rehabilitation program in Metro Manila, especially the major thoroughfares. This will include iyong sabi nga po ninyo na preventive maintenance, asphalt overlay and certainly, provision of specific lanes for motorcycles and riders,” he said.

Bonoan noted, however, that they will first need to coordinate with the Metro Manila Development Authority regarding this matter since this agency is responsible for managing traffic in the capital region.

The DPWH has earmarked P675.38 billion of its proposed 2023 budget for infrastructure development.

RELATED STORY:

Solons grill DPWH over underutilized funds, delayed projects 

Cayetano warns against DPWH’ fund parking’ syndicate 

JPV/abc