
DPWH rushing San Juanico Bridge repair to meet December 2025 deadline
'Ongoing ang repairs sa San Juanico Bridge at pinapaspasan na namin para makaabot kami sa deadline ng Presidente,' Bonoan told Super Radyo dzBB.
(Repairs on the San Juanico Bridge are ongoing, and we're expediting the work to meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's deadline.)
This move came after Marcos said he wanted to restore the bridge's capacity after a three-ton load limit had been imposed since May 15, after an assessment showed that there are significant structural compromises to the bridge.
'That's a test, sabi ko pag hindi niyo natapos 'yan, tatanggapin ko 'yung resignation ninyo,' Marcos warned.
(That's a test, if you don't finish that, I'll accept your resignation.)
The President had said more than P500 million has already been allocated for the San Juanico Bridge's repair.
Last May, the Tacloban City Council declared a state of emergency as access to San Juanico Bridge, which links the islands of Samar and Leyte in Eastern Visayas, remains limited ahead of planned repairs on the structure. — RF, GMA Integrated News

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


GMA Network
36 minutes ago
- GMA Network
Comelec launches voter registration for 2025 BSKE
Voters check a map of polling precincts at Camarin Elementary School in Caloocan City on Monday, October 30, 2023. LUISITO SANTOS/Super Radyo dzBB The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday kicked off the ten-day nationwide voter registration for the 2025 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE). According to the poll body, applicants may register from Monday to Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at any satellite registration sites or at their respective Comelec office of the election officer (OEO). In Metro Manila, registrants may apply in any participating Register Anywhere Program (RAP) sites. The Comelec reiterated that there will be no transfer of local registration records during the voter registration period. However, other types of applications will be accepted including: registration change of name and status correction of entries reactivation of registration records inclusion of registration records reinstating of name in the list of voters The following may also be processed: applications for reactivation, reactivation with change or correction, reactivation with updating of records, updating of records of person with disability (PWD), senior citizen, and members of indigenous peoples (IPs) and indigenous cultural communities (ICCs), and transfer from overseas to local only. The Comelec previously announced that the 10-day nationwide registration for BSKE will start from August 1 to 10, 2025. The initial schedule in July was suspended following the ratification of a bicameral conference committee report seeking to extend the term of office for barangay and SK officials from three to four years, and postpone the elections to the first Monday of November 2026. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to decide whether to approve or veto the proposed measure. However, the poll body earlier said there has been "no indication" from Malacañang that the bill would be vetoed. The 2025 BSKE is set on December 1, 2025. — VDV, GMA Integrated News

GMA Network
19 hours ago
- GMA Network
Makabayan: COA, not DPWH, should audit flood control projects
The Commission on Audit (COA) should be the one to probe and audit the flood control projects, opposition lawmakers said Thursday. House Deputy Minority Leader Representative Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers party-list and House Assistant Minority Leader Renee Co of Kabataan party-list made the statement in the aftermath of Public Works chief Manuel Bonoan's comments that the DPWH does not have enough monitoring mechanisms for flood control projects included and approved by the lawmakers in the national budget. 'We welcome the call to probe and audit flood control projects following the massive flooding that hit Metro Manila and surrounding areas despite the billions allocated for flood mitigation. However, we strongly oppose any move to let the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) conduct its own investigation,' Tinio said. "COA has the technical expertise, independence, and constitutional mandate to conduct thorough audits. They exposed the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam, they questioned the confidential funds—they can certainly uncover the truth behind these flood control failures even by just basing from their previous audit reports," Tinio added. Co, for her part, said the DPWH cannot probe itself as the chief implementor of these flood control projects given that the COA has flagged DPWH many times for its failure to implement infrastructure projects. Co cited that based on the 2023 Annual Audit Report (AAR) on DPWH alone which is the latest available AAR, the DPWH was not able to efficiently implement P131 billion worth of locally funded projects due to inadequate planning, detailed engineering, supervision, and monitoring, resulting in delayed completion and non-implementation of various projects. Likewise, the same COA report showed that the DPWH only completed 450 out of the 905 flood mitigation structures and drainage systems. "Ang DPWH ay kasama sa problema, hindi bahagi ng solusyon. Paano nila i-audit ang sarili nilang kapalpakan? It would be a whitewash, pure and simple," Co, a lawyer, pointed out. (DPWH is part of the problem, not the solution. How can they audit their own failings?) 'We call on the COA to conduct a comprehensive audit of all flood control projects, similar to their work on the pork barrel scam and Vice President Sara Duterte's confidential funds. COA has proven its independence and capability in exposing government anomalies,' Co added. The prevailing inefficiency of DPWH, the lawmakers said, must end. "The people deserve answers, and only an independent body like COA can provide them," We urge Congress to pass a resolution directing COA to conduct an immediate and comprehensive audit of all DPWH flood control projects from 2016 to the present,' they added. GMA News Online has reached out to DPWH and the COA for comment. — BM, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
20 hours ago
- GMA Network
ODA-funded projects hit $39.6B in 2024, up 6% —DEPDev
An artist's rendition of the proposed Metro Manila Subway funded by official development assistance from Japan. (File photo) The total value of foreign Official Development Assistance (ODA)-funded projects in the Philippines stood at $39.6 billion in 2024, up 6% from $37.3 billion in 2023, according to the 2024 ODA Portfolio Review Report released by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev). In its ODA report, the DEPDev stated that the amount — spread across 426 loans and grants — included new loan commitments for infrastructure, which drove the year-on-year increase. The agency stated that nine of the 17 new loans, worth $8.2 billion, provided funding support for the Marcos administration's flagship infrastructure projects. Among the projects that benefited from these loan commitments are the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project, Dalton Pass East Alignment Road Project Phase I, new funding for the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge Project, Metro Manila Subway Project, and Infrastructure for Safer and Resilient Schools Project, according to DEPDev. 'The Philippine government has long recognized the importance of transformative investments, particularly those aimed at easing mobility constraints and advancing regional integration. Projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway can support and benefit present and future generations by enabling the spatial diversification of our growth engines and making our economy more resilient to shocks,' said DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. The report also showed that transport and connectivity infrastructure accounted for the largest share of last year's ODA portfolio at $42.81 billion or 62.7% of the total, equivalent to 120 loans or grants. Meanwhile, a total of 79 loans and grants valued at $6.4 billion, or 16% of the total, were listed under the governance and institutions development sector. The projects under this sector are focused on enhancing governance reforms, fiscal management, and institutional development. Social reform and community development represented the third largest share with $5.4 billion or 13.5%, accounting for 113 loans and grants allocated in health, education, social protection, and human capital development programs. DEPDev, likewise, reported 60 ODA-funded projects that included components supporting climate change adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction. These include 33 loans and 27 grants financing infrastructure resilience, transport decarbonization, climate-smart agriculture, and renewable energy, it said. 'Our whole-of-government approach aims to maximize assistance from our development partners by strategically aligning development financing with spending priorities that will accelerate our progress in attaining desired socioeconomic outcomes," said Balisacan. "To fully realize the benefits of these financial commitments and ensure the timely delivery of results that benefit the ordinary Filipino, we urgently need to improve public-sector capacity for project preparation, coordination, and execution,' he added. The 2024 ODA Report also outlined key lessons for improving project implementation, such as the following: advance early-stage project readiness ensure timely and predictable budgetary support address persistent implementation bottlenecks and common challenges strengthen institutional capacity and monitoring and evaluation units systematically integrate cross-cutting themes, such as gender and development and climate integration In 2024, the DEPDev said the government completed six major ODA projects across different sectors, including the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) Arterial Road Bypass Project Phase III and the Panguil Bay Bridge Project, 'which significantly reduced travel time in Central Luzon and Northern Mindanao, respectively, thereby improving regional connectivity.' Also completed were the DPWH's Flood Risk Management Project for the Cagayan de Oro River and the Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Project in Pampanga which aim to strengthen flood protection systems and support local communities in building climate resilience. Under the health and social services sector, the Department of Health (DOH), through the COVID-19 Emergency Response Project, delivered essential medical equipment, vaccines, and health infrastructure that helped prevent infection and reduce fatalities, while the additional financing for the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) KALAHI-CIDSS program supported inclusive post-pandemic recovery in poor and vulnerable municipalities. Balisacan thanked the Philippines' development partners for their support through the ODA funding assistance. "Their continued commitment plays a pivotal role in fostering sustainable growth, addressing key challenges, and uplifting the lives of Filipinos. By providing the much-needed funding support to our critical projects, ODA remains an essential catalyst in building a resilient, inclusive, and prosperous future for the Philippines," said the country's chief economist. Under Republic Act No. 8182, or the ODA Act of 1996, the DEPDev—previously the National Economic and Development Authority or NEDA—is mandated to conduct the annual ODA Portfolio Review and submit its report to Congress. The review aims to assess the status of ODA-financed projects, identify implementation issues and concerns, and highlight results and outcomes to ensure strategic alignment with the Philippine Development Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals. The review also aims to provide recommendations based on past performance and lessons learned to improve overall ODA utilization. —LDF, GMA Integrated News