The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday announced that the rehabilitation of EDSA will be the main project of the Marcos administration this year.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the restoration of the major thoroughfare in Metro Manila is among the major infrastructure projects that will be undertaken in 2025.

“The President wants to improve the riding quality of EDSA. We will rehabilitate the entire EDSA starting 2025,” he said in the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing.

“At present, if you pass through EDSA, it’s difficult for a person to send a text message… So, I think it’s about time that we need to rehabilitate EDSA once and for all.”

Bonoan said they expect the rehabilitation project to be completed within the year.

Flood control

During the same briefing, Bonoan said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered a holistic approach in addressing flood problems in the country.

“Utos ni Presidente that we have to address actually ‘yung mga flood control projects natin (The President ordered that we have to actually address our flood control projects),” he said.

Bonoan said Marcos wants the flood control projects to be “resilient and implemented holistically.”

The DPWH is planning to build three dams in the mountains of Sierra Madre to confine flood waters and regulate its flow to protect Metro Manila from flashfloods.

“Dito sa Metro Manila, dapat siguro tingnan kung puwede nating magawan ng mga (Here in Metro Manila, maybe we should look into having) infrastructure facilities that will impound water in the watershed,” Bonoan said, adding that the department will continue pursuing the Pasig-Marikina Flood Control Program.

Bonoan added they are currently rehabilitating about 37 regional pumping stations in the country, 15 of which have been completed while the rest “may be completed within the year”.

“These pumping stations have been there long time ago and kailangan natin ma-increase ‘yung carrying capacity nila, ‘yung pumping capacity (we need to increase their carrying and pumping capacities)” he said.

Some 21K projects in 2024

Meanwhile, the DPWH chief reported that for 2024, they have implemented around 21,000 projects amounting to PHP900 billion. The projects are locally funded and foreign-assisted.

“I think about 70 percent of these have been already accomplished. The projects include road rehabilitation, flood control, local projects, among others,” Bonoan said.

Among the undertakings that have been completed are the Integrated Risk Reduction Flood Control Management in low-lying areas in Pampanga and flood control project in Cagayan de Oro, which was constructed after Typhoon Sendong.

“We have completed the (Phase 1) flood control in Pampanga. It will help mitigate flooding in Masantol, Macabebe, Santo Tomas areas. Then Phase 2 of the project will start this year,” he said.

“The people in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro were very, very happy to see that it is already a completed project and already protecting iyong (the) areas that were flooded before.” (PNA)