The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will construct more national roads covering 30,000 kilometers and flood control projects along principal river basins throughout the country.
Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the DPWH goals are among President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives since his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in 2022 under the Build Better More program.
“So, ito iyong pinag-uukulan namin talaga ng mga pansin sa ngayon (So, this is what we are really focusing on right now),” Bonoan said in a pre-SONA interview over People’s Television on Friday.
He said the biggest road project the DPWH is looking to implement is the Daang Maharlika, the 3,000-km main trunk line of the Philippine National System from Laoag City to Zamboanga City that was started by President Marcos’ father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.
“Dapat magkaroon tayo man lang ng tuluy-tuloy na pagbibiyahe along these roads. So, ito iyong tinatahak namin ngayon (So, our goal here is that we should at least have continuous travel along these roads. So, this is what we are going through now),” Bonoan said.
He said 74 of the Marcos administration-approved 175 flagship projects will be implemented under the stewardship of the DPWH.
The DPWH’s target is to widen the congested roads not only in Metro Manila but in other regions’ metropolis, Bonoan said.
“Lahat ng national roads dapat maluwagan na. At least four lanes na po lahat sana. Ito iyong adhikain namin po dito (All national roads should be widened to at least four lanes. This is our goal here),” he said.
He said six more bridges to be constructed across Pasig River are now on the “starting to construct” stage.
“Mayroon po iyong tulay na magko-connect ng north and south harbor, mayroon iyong tulay na magko-connect dito sa may bandang Makati, dalawa yata diyan and tatlo yata sa may Marikina (There is a bridge that will connect the north and south harbor, there is a bridge that will connect here near Makati, I think there are two there and three near Marikina),” he said.
He said the target is to finish the six bridges within the term of President Marcos.
Flood control
Bonoan said the DPWH is likewise implementing 1,900 flood control projects throughout the country this year.
“Gumagawa po kami ng revetment walls para hindi umapaw iyong mga tubig kapag umuulan (We are building revetment walls so that your water does not overflow when it rains),” he said.
He said the DPWH also has other preventive measures like river dredging, particularly near areas prone to flooding.
Bonoan said the DPWH is implementing farm-to-market roads in coordination with the Department of Agriculture to boost the national food security program.
Convergence programs with the Department of Tourism, on the other hand, will build more access roads and other infrastructure projects near the tourist destinations.
“Pinagtutulungan na nilalagyan namin ng mga infrastructure requirements, particularly iyong mga access roads nila (We are working together to put infrastructure requirements, particularly their access roads) in many parts of the country,” he said.
He said at least PHP1.4 trillion, or 6 percent of the gross domestic product, has been allocated for the construction of different infrastructure projects nationwide this year.
Bonoan emphasized the need to invest more on infrastructures, particularly on building roads, to lessen the impact of slow-moving traffic on the economy.
He cited a previous Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) study which revealed that the traffic congestion in Metro Manila alone is estimated to cost the Philippine economy at least PHP3.5 billion a day.
“At kung hindi natin tugunan ng pansin ito eh baka lolobo pa ng mga (And if we will not solve this, we might lose about) PHP5.8 billion pesos in a few more years,” he said. (PNA)
