Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon on Friday, June 19, graced the formal opening of the road and drainage project in Barangay East Timawa in this highly urbanized city’s Molo district, ahead of its July target completion.
The construction and rehabilitation of the 477-meter road and drainage infrastructure have been stalled after it was ordered suspended by the local government for lack of coordination.
Construction works resumed after it was inspected by Dizon in April.
“As promised to Mayor (Raisa Treñas) and the people of Timawa, we are done with this two-year delayed project. It was completed in two months, one month ahead of the target July completion,” he said in a media interview.
The road traverses the main campus of the University of the Philippines Visayas, Iloilo Doctors Hospital, Iloilo Doctors College and Taal Elementary School.
Dizon said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has been repeatedly reminding the DPWH that the people don’t deserve the kind of service in the past, when projects were delayed for several years.
“It’s really unacceptable. People don’t deserve it, they deserve better, we all deserve better. We tried our best, and now we will be opening the Timawa road now,” he said.
In addition to the road project, Dizon said the drainage has been expanded, five times bigger and goes straight to the outfall, thus lessening flooding.
He also committed to extending the drainage improvement for 2026 and 2027 and fixing about one kilometer of the sidewalk.
“Our commitment is that it will no longer be two years. We will do it as fast as we can,” he assured.
He also encouraged the public to report any unfinished projects to DPWH.
Meanwhile, he reported that the southbound lane of the flyover in Aganan in Pavia is around 70 percent completed and is expected to open by the end of this year, while the northbound lane is expected to open in the first quarter next year.PNA
