‘DPWH LIABLE FOR DELAYS’: Stalled for a year, this Molo road is finally open

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

It took nearly a year to complete the 477-meter road section with a drainage component in Timawa, Molo, a delay that Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said was primarily the agency’s fault, noting the project could have been finished in just five to seven months.

Dizon said that while all parties involved share responsibility, the DPWH — particularly the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) in this case — should be held chiefly accountable for ensuring that projects are completed on time.

“I think it’s everybody (responsibility) involved in the project. You cannot really just point to one. But the greater responsibility really lies with the DPWH because it is the agency implementing the project. We just have to do a better job. That is what we are trying to do now all over the country,” he said.

Dizon led the opening of the roadway on Friday, June 19, officially allowing motorists to use the 477-meter stretch connecting West Avenue and East Timawa in Molo.

The roadway traverses areas near the UP Visayas Iloilo City Campus, Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital, Iloilo Doctors’ College, and Taal Elementary School.

The project was implemented through three contracts, all awarded to Noe’s Builders.

These include the PHP 9.78 million drainage structure project, which started on Feb. 20, 2025, and was originally scheduled for completion on July 5, 2025.

Two additional contracts — Construction of Road and Drainage (Section 1) worth PHP 19.78 million and Construction of Road and Drainage (Section 2) worth PHP 19.77 million — both started on Feb. 20, 2025, and had target completion dates of Sept. 6, 2025.

Earlier this year, Dizon committed to completing the previously stalled project within three months.

The roadway’s opening came a month ahead of the deadline he had set.

“It can be done and we’ve seen it. I have seen it myself. When projects are closely monitored and properly coordinated with local government units, even projects that have been delayed for years can suddenly be completed within months. It can be done, so we just have to keep pushing,” he said.

Dizon lamented that residents, students, and institutions in the area had to endure a year of inconvenience because of a short stretch of road.

“People do not deserve projects that take two, three, or even five years to complete. Look at the Aganan Flyover — it took five years. That’s really unacceptable. The public deserves better. We all deserve better,” he said.

He credited the accelerated completion of the project to the efforts of the new ICDEO leadership, which he said worked around the clock to finish the roadway.

The DPWH chief also underscored the importance of close coordination between the agency and local government units (LGUs).

“If the DPWH does not coordinate with LGUs, projects will always be delayed. This project is a perfect example. It was delayed for [one year] because there was not enough coordination before. But when the district engineer and the DPWH sat down and worked with the mayor, things moved quickly, and the project was expedited,” he said.

Dizon, who has been inspecting projects across the country, stressed the need for regular inspections of both ongoing and delayed projects to ensure that construction activities are accelerated.

“The problem is it has been here for so long (the delay). You have to understand. The culture has been like this for so long. It is important for the head of the agency to really go down and tell people that we have to do a better job because the public is suffering. That will take time but I think right now the institution or the organization is now learning that it needs to do it the right way. When it can do it the right way, it can do it fast,” he emphasized.

When asked whether it was necessary for him to personally inspect projects across the country, Dizon said he was willing to do so if it meant improving project delivery.

“If that’s what it takes for me to go everywhere, then that’s what we will do. Otherwise, things will simply return to the old way of doing things,” he said.

Improved connectivity, drainage

The project was undertaken to improve road connectivity, traffic circulation, and stormwater management.

The DPWH said that following its completion, mobility and traffic flow significantly improved along the Timawa Avenue-Delgado Street corridor extending to West Avenue and East Timawa.

It also enhanced drainage conditions in the low-lying barangays of East Timawa and West Timawa.

Its construction included the installation of a 15-linear-meter transverse 1.2-meter-diameter double-barrel high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe crossing, the construction of 462 linear meters of reinforced concrete box culverts, and the restoration of 477 linear meters of Portland cement concrete pavement.

The installation of the HDPE pipe crossing created a new stormwater outfall between UP Visayas and Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital.

The drainage system’s stormwater capacity rose more than fivefold — from 419.66 cubic meters to 2,232.26 cubic meters.

The DPWH said that during implementation, the project encountered challenges such as conflicts with existing Metro Pacific Iloilo Water pipelines, delays in securing road closure permits, and traffic congestion within the project area.

Dizon also committed additional drainage improvement projects for 2026 and 2027, as well as the rehabilitation of approximately 1 kilometer of sidewalks in the area.

“It will no longer be three years. We will do it as fast as we can. That is how it should be,” he said.