The rehabilitation of the national highway in Barangay San Pedro, Puerto Princesa City is ahead of schedule, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 3rd District Engineering Office said yesterday.
The rehab project began on March 27 and covers the stretch of road from the Wescom Road junction to Junction 2. By May 30, it had reached 20.89% completion, which the district office reported as 11.94% ahead of its target schedule.
“More or less 50%, kung mapapansin nyo, ongoing na rin ang outer lane namin from right side going to bayan mo. And then simultaneously ginagawa na rin ang other lanes,” said DPWH construction engineer Darius San Diego.
He said contingency plans are in place to minimize weather-related stoppages.
San Diego explained that the highway was designed to handle stormwater from both sides.
“Hopefully, matapos namin ito on time, makisama lang sana yong panahon,” he said.
“Pero meron din kaming contingency as regards sa panahon. Naka store naman ng maganda yong kalsada namin at may proper drainage, at nag-a-apply kami dyan ng soil stabilizer,” he added.
He stressed that if delays occur, their office has calibrated actions to adjust the schedule by as much as 5 to 15%.
San Diego also assured that the concrete and other materials being used are well documented and have passed quality testing.
The DPWH earlier clarified that a minor adjustment will be carried out near the Adventist Hospital Palawan to ensure road width, but this will not affect the project cost.
It also said the 30-meter concrete barrier in front of Loreto-Santos Lanzanas Central School is a “Refuge Island,” built to give pedestrians a safe space while crossing the highway.
Despite these explanations, residents have been critical of the project.
“Di Naman talaga kailangang palitan ang high way. Dapat ispalto lng palitan Jan tulad sa Palingke… syempre election kailangan ng Pera (sic),” one user wrote.
Another commenter raised concern about the alleged ₱300 million budget, saying the road was still in good condition and that only the asphalt portions needed repair.
Others hit the pace of rehabilitation.
“Bagal ng Trabaho nyu. Mag dagdag kau ng Tao para sa Gabi Natrabaho. Kalaki ng budget (sic)” a resident said.
