THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will embark on multi-billion-peso maintenance, rehabilitation, repair and completion of all unfinished infrastructure projects nationwide for 2026. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday that top on the DPWH’s priority is the massive rehabilitation and repair of the Maharlika Highway, also known as the Pan-Philippine Highway, which spans 3,379.73 kilometers from Aparri in Northern Luzon to Jolo in Mindanao. Maharlika Highway is a network of roads, expressways, bridges and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. “Top on our priority for 2026 is the repair of roads and bridges all over the country. There is no highway, no roads more important than the Maharlika Highways, from Aparri to Mindanao,” Dizon said. The repair of the Maharlika Highway alone is expected to cost the government P16 billion, but this is expected to go higher after the technical details and scope of the massive repair are finalized, Dizon said. He added that this is the first time that the Maharlika Highway would be repaired and rehabilitated since the road network was completed in the ‘70s. “This will be a massive repair and rehabilitation effort. When I say massive, I mean all segments of the highway will be repaired from North to South, including the McArthur Highway, Quirino Highways and Andaya Highways in Bicol,” he said. Also on the priority list were the repairs of all defective flood control projects, including those in Bulacan, Oriental Mindoro, Davao Occidental and La Union, before the start of the rainy season in June. Dizon said the DPWH regional offices concerned were now in close coordination with the local government units (LGUs) in their areas for the completion, repair and rehabilitation of defective flood control projects. First to be repaired, he added, are the defective flood control projects in the 1st district of Bulacan, as well as those in Oriental Mindoro. “I already talked with the governor of Oriental Mindoro. They have plans to help us. We will empower the province of Mindoro to enable them to help us. We will provide the funding, but we will have a memorandum of agreement with Oriental Mindoro in order for them to help us fix this,” added Dizon. Also to be repaired were the EDSA, C5 Road, Buot-Taop Bridge in Cebu City, Oyungan Bridge in Iloilo, Tubod-Nabuna Bridge in Aloran, Misamis Occidental, and the damaged hanging bridge in Barangay Kayapa, Nueva Ecija, McArthur Highway in Apalit, Pampanga. Dizon further said the DPWH will also complete the construction of the San Agustin Bridge in Arayat, Pampanga, Candaba Bridge along Baliwag-Candaba-Sta. Ana Road in Pampanga, the Aganban Flyover in Iloilo, and the Tigasao-Pacifico Bridge in Siargao. “It is not enough to hold accountable and jail the personalities linked to the flood control scam. The people also wanted the flood control projects to be completed to prevent flooding when the rainy season comes,” Dizon said on Monday. Dizon assured the public that even as the DPWH 2026 national budget has been slashed down to over P500 billion from the original proposal of P880 billion, they can do more quality projects at a much lower cost. Dizon pointed out that the DPWH had a lot of funds in previous years, but they were not spent for their intended purpose and were pocketed only by unscrupulous personalities. “That’s the challenge that we will face this year. Hopefully, even though we are no longer in the government, the reforms we started will continue. That’s our goal, and we will prove that this year and in the coming years,” he said.