SUNWEST CARVES PANAY: DPWH urged to suspend, review inter-Panay road project

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

A coalition of civil society groups sounded the alarm on the road projects cutting across the Central Panay Mountain Range (CPMR) and undertaken by the controversial Sunwest Inc.

Amlig Alliance Antique in a statement on Monday, August 18, called for the immediate suspension and investigation of at least six road projects of the Albay-based firm in Laua-an and Valderrama, Antique, stretching toward Tapaz, Capiz, and Lambunao, Iloilo.

“Entrusting Sunwest Inc. […] to carve roads through the ecologically fragile CPMR invites disaster: environmental degradation, economic waste, and flashfloods,” the group said in a statement.

Sunwest, linked to Ako Bikol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, was earlier identified as one of 15 contractors that cornered 20 percent of the PHP 545 billion allocated for flood control projects, securing the largest share at PHP 10.1 billion for 78 projects.

In 2012, the Commission on Audit also flagged the firm after finding that the road it constructed was undersized by over 2,000 square meters in width, which was contrary to the company’s reported accomplishment to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

DPWH records show Sunwest is handling the six road and slope-protection contracts under the phased construction of the Panay East-West Lateral Road (PEWLR).

The PEWLR is a major infrastructure project by the DPWH designed to connect several provinces in Panay, specifically Antique, Central and Northern Iloilo, and Capiz.

It is a 41-kilometer, 20-meter-wide road that traverses the mountain ranges of Antique and Iloilo, including portions of the CPMR.

PEWLR is segmented primarily into two main road sections: Bugasong-Valderrama Road Section in Antique (28 km) and Lambunao-Inca Road Section in Iloilo (13 km).

The road project has a budget of approximately PHP 2.6 billion, with construction started in 2017 during the time of former DPWH secretary and now Senator Mark Villar.

The DPWH said the project aims to reduce travel time between central Iloilo and Antique from over two and a half hours to about two hours.

While marketed as a boost to regional connectivity, Amlig said the project “entails extensive deforestation, slope cutting, and earthworks in landslide-prone terrain.”

ECOLOGICAL, CLIMATE RISKS

CPMR, where the PEWLR sits, is the longest and largest mountain range on Panay Island, extending about 170 km (110 miles) north to south and 34 km (21 miles) east to west. It spans several provinces, including eastern Antique, western Iloilo, western Capiz, and western Aklan.

The Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2015–2028), a national framework to protect biodiversity and natural resources, designated CPMR as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) and recognized it as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

Conservation groups, including the Haribon Foundation, are pushing for its declaration as a protected area to provide the range with legal protection, resources for management, and enhanced conservation programs.

“Encroachment will fragment forests, disrupt wildlife corridors, and heighten landslide and flash flood risks — undermining natural defences against climate disasters in a typhoon-prone region,” Amlig said.

The group also flagged project billboards that allegedly lacked Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) numbers, a requirement under Presidential Decree 1586 for projects with significant environmental impact.

It further accused the DPWH of “project splitting,” dividing the PEWLR into segments to avoid preparing a comprehensive Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, which is mandatory for Category A ECCs covering environmentally critical projects.

Amlig demanded an immediate moratorium on all road works in the CPMR until independent audits verify ECC compliance and environmental safeguards.

It also called for transparent consultations with local governments, indigenous peoples, and communities, as well as a review of whether the project serves public needs.

“Granting Sunwest Inc. unchecked access to this sensitive ecosystem is not merely reckless—it is a direct threat to Antique’s heritage, the people of Panay, and the Philippines’ environmental future,” the group stressed.