DPWH intensifies road maintenance ahead of Holy Week travel surge

MANILA, Philippines — In preparation for the anticipated influx of travelers for the upcoming Holy Week, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has ramped up its routine road repair and maintenance activities following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize road safety and commuter convenience. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Wednesday said all DPWH regional and district engineering offices were under strict instruction to ensure that all major thoroughfares are well-maintained, and free from obstructions and potholes, and to guarantee that appropriate warning, directional, and information signages are legibly and visibly installed. Ongoing maintenance activities, Dizon said, include the repair of road defects such as potholes and cracks, repainting of faded road markings, clearing of overgrown vegetation, and restoration of damaged or missing road signs. “Our teams are working round-the-clock shifts to ensure major thoroughfares are well-maintained, and free from obstruction and potholes,” said Dizon, adding that the DPWH would also provide emergency assistance to commuters before and after the observance of the Holy Week. Dizon said that one of the DPWH's main focus was the road repairs on the Andaya Highway in Sipocot, Camarines Sur, one of the main arteries of the Maharlika Highway. “Remember, it’s not only people from Bicol who pass through here—everyone does, including those going to Visayas and Mindanao. At least with our Holy Week timeline, we can provide this to our fellow citizens,” the DPWH chief said. He assured that travel along the highways would now be continuous as the one-way system would no longer be implemented in preparation for the Holy Week rush. “We need to ensure that before Holy Week, the Maharlika Highway is fully passable—from Quezon, Bicol, Samar to Leyte. We make sure that our [DPWH] Regional Director will deliver and that all our ongoing projects will be completed quickly so that before Holy Week all these one-way sections will already be open,” added Dizon. Dizon said the planned major rehabilitation of Maharlika Highway would start after the Holy Week.

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