ILOILO — After years of delays that drew public frustration, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now racing to fast-track the long-stalled Aganan flyover project in Pavia, Iloilo, targeting partial opening by the end of 2026 while simultaneously pursuing accountability for the prolonged construction.
DPWH Secretary Vivencio Dizon announced that jet grouting works for all 21 piers of the flyover are set for completion by May 2026, a critical milestone that will pave the way for the next phase of construction.
“They are now in the final stages of jet grouting, and we think we can finish jet grouting by the end of May. Ang bagong (DPWH) regional director natin dito is telling me that they can finish jet grouting by the end of May, and that will allow us to start pouring concrete dito sa ating flyover. They will also start already the second column doon sa intersection, and I think by June or July, we will start putting up the girders para makita na talaga ng ating kababayan na tuloy-tuloy na ito,” Dizon said during a media interview following his inspection of the project on Wednesday, April 15.
Once jet grouting is completed, Dizon said, the installation of concrete girders will start by June or July to meet the timeline of opening the northbound portion of the flyover by December 2026 and the southbound portion by March or April 2027.
Dizon did not mince words in describing the troubled project.
“This is ‘yung kumbaga poster child ng masamang ginagawa ng DPWH in the past. This project has been dragging for the past six years. I was talking to Mayor Luigi Gorriceta of Pavia and talagang hindi na nila alam ‘yung gagawin nila,” he said.
Despite the urgency, Dizon emphasized that safety will not be sacrificed in the rush to complete the structure.
“We will do our best we can kasi we cannot compromise safety. The primary goal natin is to ensure the flyover is safe so we will do our best. We will fast tract everything but right now that is the timeline,” he added.
Dizon personally inspected the site anew to ensure progress is sustained, saying on-site presence helps enforce urgency among engineers, contractors, and regional officials.
“I need to come here because if I don’t, there won’t be a sense of urgency.
Here, I can tell the District Engineer, the DPWH regional director, the contractor na ‘you know you have to act here with the sense of urgency,’” he said.
The DPWH chief also underscored the economic impact of the delay, noting that prolonged congestion has added to motorists’ expenses amid rising fuel prices.
“Kailangan talaga paspasan natin ‘yung pagtatapos, kagaya nito ng Aganan,” Dizon stressed.
Alongside the accelerated construction, Dizon revealed that the agency has already submitted documents to the Office of the Ombudsman to determine accountability for the delays.
“Tuloy-tuloy na tayo dyan while we are fixing this, we are already submitting all the documents to the Ombudsman questioning what happened here and who needs to be held accountable for this kasi ang laking pinsalang dinulot nito. So, we have to make sure the people here who are responsible for this delay are held to account but we have to do it kasabay ng nitong pagpaayos nito,” he said./PN
