PALO, Leyte — The Department of Public Works and Highways regional office in Eastern Visayas will proceed with retrofitting works on the damaged Calbiga Bridge in Samar despite the absence of an allocation in the 2026 national budget.

DPWH Regional Director Edgar Tabacon said the retrofitting will make use of excess materials from the recent San Juanico Bridge upgrade. The project aims to strengthen the bridge to accommodate heavier vehicles, including trucks transporting goods between Luzon and Mindanao.

Tabacon said the DPWH still has surplus materials from the San Juanico Bridge retrofitting, which can be temporarily used instead of being returned to Cebu.

No specific timeframe has been announced for the start or completion of the retrofitting works. Similar to the San Juanico Bridge improvements, the DPWH is targeting a load capacity that would allow trucks of up to 30 gross tons to pass.

Tabacon discussed the plan during a consultative meeting with House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan and Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales.

Gonzales raised concerns over the rapid deterioration of national roads in Eastern Samar after the DPWH imposed a 15-ton load limit on vehicles crossing Calbiga Bridge starting 27 October 2025 due to structural weaknesses.

Trucks and wing vans exceeding the weight limit were instructed to take a detour via the Paranas–Taft, Taft–Borongan, Borongan–Buenavista, and Buenavista–Lawaan roads, increasing travel time by at least four hours.

Gonzales noted that the alternative route, constructed between 2010 and 2016 by the Millennium Challenge Corporation through a $434 million grant from the United States Congress, was not designed for heavy trucks, unlike the Maharlika Highway.

He said the increased volume of heavy vehicles has resulted in potholes along the detour roads, posing risks to local residents.

Earlier, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tacloban-Leyte chapter appealed to the government through the Regional Development Council to expedite funding for the Calbiga Bridge, citing the load limit as a critical bottleneck.

The group said that while the San Juanico Bridge rehabilitation increased load capacity and improved traffic flow, restrictions at Calbiga Bridge have disrupted logistics and economic activity.

Business groups also pointed out that the 250-kilometer detour through Eastern Samar has significantly raised logistics costs, adding between P10,000 and P15,000 per trip.