A Billion-Peso Blunder

For years, the skeletal frame of the Aganan Flyover has stood not as a symbol of progress, but as a monument to incompetence. What was promised as a solution to Iloilo’s traffic woes has devolved into a costly, stagnant eyesore, and now, the public is being handed the bill for a mistake they did not make. The price tag to rectify this engineering failure? A staggering P285 million, pushing the project’s total cost to an astronomical P1.1 billion.

This is no simple budget overrun, rather, it is the price of a colossal blunder. According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-6), the original design provided by United Technology Consolidated Partnership (UTCP) specified piers that were dangerously shallow—a mere 20 to 30 meters deep when 44 to 50 meters were required for stability. This is the same fundamental flaw that plagued the nearby Ungka Flyover, a project handled by the very same consultant. Coincidence? It appears to be a pattern of failure.

DPWH-6 Assistant Regional Director Jose Al Fruto has argued that the extra P285 million is the amount that “should have been allocated since the start.” While technically correct, this statement glosses over the unacceptable truth: a faulty design was approved, funded, and nearly completed before the fatal flaw was addressed. Why must taxpayers now fund the correction for a plan that should never have passed the review of the DPWH Bureau of Design in the first place? Where is the accountability? To date, there has been no public reckoning for the firm that designed two flawed flyovers or the officials who greenlit the plans.

The true cost extends far beyond the budget. It is measured in the daily gridlock faced by commuters, the wasted fuel, the lost man-hours, and the deep erosion of public trust. The project, once slated for a June 2023 completion, now sits 81% finished but suspended since October 2022. If the new funds are approved, completion is now eyed for late 2026—a three-year delay, at minimum.

Worse still, this solution is not even guaranteed. Director Fruto himself admits, “The uncertainties are there. We cannot assure how to secure that amount.” The completion of this vital infrastructure hinges on a budget “appeal” to Congress. What happens if that appeal fails? Will this P800-million structure be left to rust, a permanent reminder of government inefficiency?

The Aganan Flyover fiasco is a symptom of a broken system. Hiring third-party consultants to check for problems after construction is suspended is a reactive, wasteful approach. We need mandatory, independent verification of all major infrastructure designs before a single shovel hits the ground.

Completing the Aganan Flyover is a necessity. But it cannot end there. We demand more than just concrete and steel; we demand accountability. The firms and individuals responsible for this billion-peso blunder must be held liable. Our elected officials must not only secure the funds for its completion but also champion the reforms needed to ensure this never happens again. Anything less is a betrayal of the public trust and an insult to every taxpayer who is now forced to pay for the incompetence of others.