No budget yet: Ungka Flyover road fix bumped to 2027

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has set a 2027 target for the full reblocking of the road beneath the Ungka Flyover in Pavia, Iloilo, while interim asphalt overlay work addresses persistent potholes in the area.

The damaged section at the intersection of Iloilo Circumferential Road 1, beneath the Ungka Flyover, has raised ongoing safety concerns, with motorists reporting repeated jolts from the uneven pavement.

In February, DPWH-6 scraped the deteriorated asphalt overlay and applied patching to improve road safety. Crews carried out additional patching on June 18.

During a visit to Iloilo City on June 19, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon raised questions about the recurring road defects.

“It always has problems. Why is that? […] Why does it keep getting damaged?” Dizon said, directing DPWH-6 director Denise Maria Ayag to explain the situation.

Ayag said the concrete surface is repeatedly damaged when heavily loaded trucks pass through, particularly during heavy rainfall.

Dizon said patching remains the only immediate option because the 2026 budget includes no funding for a long-term solution.

“I am asking (Ayag) to fix that already. Right now, there is no budget for a long-term solution. What needs to be done there is to tear up the old pavement and replace it because the base is already damaged, but we do not have the budget for that now,” he said.

“So it’s really just patchwork for now. I think next year we will have the budget to fix it long term,” he added.

Ayag said a full reblocking project, including drainage construction, is already programmed for next year.

Ayag added that the project is being proposed for funding under the DPWH Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office.

Road reblocking refers to the removal and reconstruction of road pavement — typically concrete or asphalt — rather than isolated patch repairs, and is used mainly in heavily deteriorated sections.

The corridor has drawn scrutiny for years. The PHP 680-million Ungka Flyover, which links Jaro in Iloilo City with Pavia, was temporarily closed in September 2022 after engineers detected vertical displacement in its foundations, and it has undergone rectification works since.

The DPWH suspended nationwide reblocking activities in October 2025 pending new guidelines.

The suspension followed an order from Dizon aimed at curbing irregularities and tightening standards for project justification.

Dizon assumed the DPWH portfolio in September 2025, tasked by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with a sweep of the agency following revelations of anomalous flood control projects nationwide.