Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the DPWH Regional Office 8 to prioritize the renovation of the Calbiga Bridge in Samar, which serves as a critical artery, connecting the residents of Calbiga directly to Tacloban City, Leyte.
This follows the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure that old bridges across the country are safe and that sufficient funds are allocated for their necessary strengthening.
According to Dizon, the bridge plan will be reviewed by the DPWH Central Office to ensure that funds for the retrofitting of the said bridge were not skimped on.
“Let’s just do it properly, right. Don’t skimp,” Dizon said.
He is also speeding up the strengthening of the bridge like what is being done on the San Juanico Bridge.
The DPWH targets to immediately restore traffic flow to normal and raise the load limit of the Calbiga Bridge so that motorists will no longer have difficulty with the one-way traffic scheme and the implementation of the 15-ton load restriction by October 2025.
Meanwhile, the DPWH is is expediting the construction and inventory of the remaining schools and classrooms nationwide to make learning more convenient for students.
“‘That’s the problem, the national [government] really needs to be more proactive in finding unfinished [projects], then find a solution on how to finish them. Because sometimes when you’re thinking about a new project, there are still many unfinished ones. Isn’t it, they just pile on top of each other,” Dizon said.
“The best way forward is to take an inventory of all those [unfinished school buildings]. There are many of them all over the country. Take an inventory and prioritize funding for that,” he added.
Dizon added that the construction of the bumpy road leading to Revilla National High School will also be expedited, and will be completed before the rainy season, so that students’ travel will be more comfortable.
