Dizon slams fund delays, orders quick repair of Benguet roads

HIGHWAY CHECK Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon joins local officals of the agency in the Cordillera on Friday in inspecting a damaged section of Marcos Highway in Tuba, Benguet, a major route used by travelers heading to Baguio City. Dizon expressed surprise and frustration that the road had remained unrepaired for eight months despite posing a clear public safety risk. —VINCENT CABREZA

TUBA, BENGUET—Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Friday said he will move to address delays in the release of Quick Response Funds (QRF), stressing that red tape should not stand in the way of repairing roads and bridges damaged by disasters.

During a brief stop in Tuba, Benguet, en route to Ilocos Sur, Dizon expressed frustration over slow rehabilitation works on key infrastructure, particularly upland roads affected by recent calamities.

He noted that damaged public works pose immediate risks to motorists and residents and should be repaired without delay.

Dizon directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Cordillera to begin restoration work on an eroded section of Marcos Highway, a major route to Baguio City that has remained partially impassable for months and has caused traffic congestion.

“Start on Monday (May 11),” Dizon told DPWH-Cordillera Director Editha Babaran after noting that the road damage, which occurred in September 2025 due to heavy runoff, had yet to be fully addressed.

He was also informed that full repair funding would only be available in 2027, a timeline he firmly rejected.

“I cannot accept that,” Dizon asserted.

Immediate funding

He said he will coordinate with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, chaired by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., to review and speed up the QRF process.

The DPWH chief reiterated that infrastructure damaged by typhoons, earthquakes, and other calamities should automatically qualify for immediate funding under the QRF system.

TRAFFIC DISRUPTION This part of Marcos Highway has been barricaded due to an eroded section along Taloy Sur in Tuba, Benguet, as seen in this photo taken on Friday, with damage tracing back to September last year. The partial closure has slowed traffic for motorists entering and leaving Baguio City. —VINCENT CABREZA

“Whenever a storm destroys infrastructure, the government’s response must be quick. But we need to make the Quick Response Fund truly a quick response. Obviously, this is no longer quick action,” Dizon said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino.

The Cordillera region alone maintains about 2,379 kilometers of national roads.

The Marcos Highway section in question was severely damaged by Typhoon “Nando” (international name: Ragasa) last year, when heavy rains caused a roughly 40-meter road segment to collapse. Engineers have also examined nearby areas due to concerns that blocked drainage systems may have worsened erosion along the slope.

Repair cost

A separate cliffside section along the same route toward Baguio is also under repair.

Dizon warned that delays could worsen the damage once the rainy season resumes in June, despite forecasts of possible dry spells linked to a developing “Super El Niño.”

He estimated the repair cost at under P20 million and said the project should be completed by August.

Dizon also gave similar instructions for the immediate repair of Kennon Road.

In Ilocos Sur, he inspected a detour bridge in Santo Domingo town that developed cracks after an overloaded 10-wheeler truck crossed the Kaliwet Bailey Bridge in Barangay Nalasin. The structure was designed for a 5-ton load limit.

“I have issued the truck company a demand letter because its overloaded truck had been the immediate cause of the bridge’s failure,” Dizon said.

He also raised concerns about the enforcement of weight limits, urging stronger monitoring by local governments to prevent similar incidents involving freight trucks and public infrastructure.