Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered a shift from temporary fixes to permanent, durable engineering solutions for roads and infrastructure in the Cordillera region, following a fatal accident and widespread damage from recent typhoons.
Dizon revealed the agency’s long-term plan after he inspected the damaged Beckel Road in La Trinidad, Benguet on Friday where a 13-year-old cyclist died after plunging into a ravine due to missing safety barriers.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) chief vowed that the government would no longer rely on outdated repair methods.
"We repeatedly repair damaged infrastructure after the rains; that can no longer be the case," Dizon said.
The top DPWH official said that the repair of the Beckel Road slope will use a 75-meter-long double crib wall with a mechanical stability system, a significant upgrade from the previous rock-and-boulder ‘slope protection’ that proved insufficient.
Expected to be completed in nearly a year, the DPWH said some P75-million has been allocated for the project.
Explaining the urgency for durable infrastructure, Dizon said: “If we don't make it strong, it will keep giving way."
The inspection follows the dismissal of two DPWH-Cordillera officials—District Engineer Isagani Cayme and Engineer III Marjory Banao—for negligence related to the absence of concrete barriers and warning devices at the Beckel accident site.
Dizon warned that negligence would not be tolerated and instructed a technical team to investigate a rocknetting project in the area after an iron bolt securing part of the structure was reportedly pulled out easily by hand during the inspection.
Also, Dizon disclosed that the agency would consult with Japanese experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and use modern mountain technologies, such as shotcrete slope protection, in landslide-prone areas.
"We’ve made mistakes and we’ve learned the lessons," he said, pointing to the need to address the root causes of landslides rather than repeatedly repairing storm damage.
The DPWH estimated that damage to roads and other public infrastructure in the region from the recent southwest monsoon and typhoons has already surpassed P3-billion, with figures expected to rise.
Dizon said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assured the public that funds would be provided for the necessary rehabilitation.
With provincial officials, Dizon likewise inspected assessments in the eroded areas in Tublay, the landslide-prone Naguilian Road, and flood mitigation projects at the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad.
