Projects part of approved agri infra plan—DPWH, DA
The Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Agriculture said two farm-to-market road projects in Tacloban were aboveboard and are all part of the approved infrastructure program of the DA for Eastern Visayas.
Based on the report of the DPWH Tacloban City District Engineering Office and the DA-Regional Field Office VIII, the FMR projects in Brgy. Bagacay and Brgy. San were part of the DA Master Plan.
This was contrary to the previous allegation of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian that the Agriculture department did not concur with what he claimed to be “exceedingly overpriced” projects.
DA Region 8 officials said insinuations of irregularity “discredit years of coordinated inter-agency planning and field validation” for the two FMR projects linked.
The DPWH said both projects underwent full validation, design review, and cost evaluation by DA prior to implementation.
The Public Works office also stressed that no government funds have been released yet for the P25 million FMR project in Brgy. Bagacay, noting it has not started due to unresolved right-of-way issues involving the Department of Health–Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (DOH-PITAHC) and the Manobo Tribe, which owns the adjacent land.
This ran counter to Gatchalian’s earlier claim that the government lost P10.3 billion from overpriced FMRs built in 2023 and 2024.
“No funds have been disbursed, and no works have begun pending resolution of the right-of-way issue,” the DPWH said in its report.
The Brgy. Bagacay FMR, which was designed to improve access for farmers and residents in the upland barangay, covers 0.32 kilometers of concrete road and extensive earthworks comprising about 80 percent of civil works.
Based on the DWPH document, the validated unit cost of the Brgy. Bagacay FMR’s concrete pavement is P12.71 million per kilometer, well within DA’s accepted range for mountain-type FMRs. Flat or rolling-terrain FMRs typically cost P6 to P9 million/km, while steep or highland roads involving cut-and-fill operations can reach P11 to P13 million/km, as acknowledged in the DA–DPWH joint validation guidelines.
“The project remains valid and beneficial once implemented, as it addresses a critical infrastructure need for the agricultural community,” DPWH Tacloban City District Engineering Office (TCDEO) said in its narrative report.
“The government’s prudent handling of this situation demonstrates due diligence and fiscal responsibility — ensuring that the project, once implemented, will bring long-term benefits without unnecessary expenditure or loss.”
Meanwhile, the San Roque FMR Phase 2, worth P99.5 million, is now 92 percent complete as of September 2025. The project covers a 0.287-kilometer road section with additional slope protection and drainage works spanning over 20,000 square meters and 1,900 linear meters, respectively.
“The additional slope protection and drainage structures were essential to prevent erosion and ensure long-term road stability,” said Project Engineer John Nichole Bertulfo in the report.
The completion of the Phase 2 of the San Roque FMR was set for October 30, 2025, following a revised schedule approved by both DA and DPWH.
“The Tacloban FMRs are high-standard, terrain-adapted infrastructure designed to serve mountain communities safely and sustainably,” said a DPWH engineer familiar with the validation process.
“The higher cost reflects terrain-driven engineering complexity, safety compliance, and DA-approved modifications — not financial irregularity.”
“When you build a road in the mountains, you don’t just pour concrete — you reshape the land to make it safe for decades. That’s what these projects represent,” the source added.
