‘SOMEONE HAS TO PAY’: DPWH told to fine consultant over Aganan flyover delay

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) faces pressure to compute and impose liquidated damages on United Technology Consolidated Partnership (UTCP), the consultancy behind the stalled PHP 802 million Aganan Flyover in Pavia, Iloilo, which has remained unfinished for three years.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, during a Senate Committee on Public Services hearing Thursday, said UTCP should be held accountable for the delay, citing design flaws as the primary cause.

“Since this is delayed, someone has to be made accountable for the project being delayed,” Tulfo said.

The project began in July 2020 and was intended to be completed within two years, with the senator citing residents’ complaints that the overdue construction has become a daily inconvenience and a major source of traffic congestion.

UTCP, contracted by the Bureau of Design of the DPWH Central Office, was in charge of structural design and soil investigations for the flyover project.

However, UTCP’s soil testing and design work have come under scrutiny after its soil depth measurements and foundation depth recommendations were found inadequate compared with confirmatory tests by DPWH that showed stable soil only at depths of 40–54 meters, not UTCP’s claimed 20–24 meters.

Because of these discrepancies, DPWH requested UTCP to revise the design and conduct additional confirmatory and seismic tests to assess structural safety, but the firm has so far not complied.

UTCP is also the consultancy firm behind the nearby Ungka Flyover, where vertical displacement or sinking was attributed to shallow-depth soil foundations that failed to provide adequate support.

In December 2022, work on the Aganan Flyover was suspended amid concerns about safety and structural integrity, echoing similar issues identified with the Ungka Flyover.

From the Aganan Flyover’s PHP 802 million contract price, only PHP 308 million remains undisbursed, while correction of the flawed design is estimated to cost an additional PHP 275‑300 million.

DPWH is now revising the flyover’s design, considering alternatives such as replacing the 50‑meter concrete girder span with steel girders or adding an extra pier to improve support.

Earlier this year, DPWH started major foundation rectification works like jet grouting to stabilize the soil, the same technique used on the Ungka Flyover’s foundation.

The International Builders Corporation, the original contractor of the Aganan Flyover, is currently carrying out the jet grouting procedure.

Tulfo urged DPWH to implement stricter background checks on contractors and consultancy firms before assigning government projects, a recommendation DPWH representative Esquibil agreed to consider.