Pavia town councilor demands accountability for flyover issues

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

A town councilor of Pavia, Iloilo has called for accountability in response to the controversies surrounding the Ungka and Aganan Flyovers, which he said have brought embarrassment to the town.

On Friday, May 10, Councilor Leonardo Belasa, chairperson of the council’s infrastructure committee, emphasized the need to identify those responsible for the issues, in a conversation with Daily Guardian on Air.

He cited the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Region 6’s current request with its central office for an additional budget for the third-party probe into Aganan.

“Pavia and [the whole of] Iloilo are very unlucky. It was the first time that we had flyovers with that huge of a budget, and they have failed. My view is that, we have to look for the persons responsible, whoever made that problem at the flyovers,” Belasa said.

He explained that potential judicial actions, like a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), could halt further work, which would not resolve the ongoing issues but merely pause them. “If we just stop implementation in looking for the solution, we would still have a problem,” he added.

Belasa supported DPWH Director Sanny Boy Oropel, who he suggested had inherited these issues from his three predecessors: Nerie Bueno, Tiburcio Canlas, and Lea Delfinado.

“From what I’ve observed, Director Oropel really wanted to provide solutions to these flyovers’ problems,” he stated.

The councilor recounted the challenges Oropel faced when the Ungka Flyover was opened to traffic, noting that it was done under scrutiny to avoid criticism for keeping it closed, yet problems persisted either way.

“At the time that [the Ungka Flyover] was opened to traffic, its movement was under observation, but [Oropel] did not want to be the subject of stories as to why it hadn’t been opened, so he just opened it,” Belasa narrated.

“When it was opened [to traffic], there were problems, and when it wasn’t, there were also problems, they said it was because of risk. I heard from an interview [with a motorist] that they don’t want to pass [under the flyover] because of falling [debris],” he added.

Director Oropel addressed the town council in a regular session on Monday, May 3, explaining the circumstances surrounding the two flyovers and justifying the steps taken by the agency.

Belasa also recognized his colleagues’ sentiments but he said that they needed to consider the technical aspects of the DPWH’s actions and responses.

A 120-day or four-month extension was recently granted to Davao City-based Monolithic Construction and Concrete Products, Inc. for P95.95-million rectification works that began in January, primarily due to challenges in jet grouting the piers and maintaining flyover availability to vehicular traffic.

Meanwhile, the Aganan Flyover, where work has been stalled since April 2023, is set for a third-party probe following confirmatory and seismic tests that revealed the flyover’s design utilized only up to 24 meters when it should have been 54 meters to adequately support the structure.