The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will open bidding this month for the full-scale rehabilitation of the Maharlika Highway to keep the project on schedule.

“We have not started (the bidding) yet but we are eyeing it this month as well,” Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon told reporters at the sidelines of the Management Association of the Philippines general membership meeting in Taguig City on Wednesday.

The DPWH had originally planned to start the overhaul in June to address long-delayed upgrades and persistent road hazards. Priority will be given to the worst sections in Quezon, Bicol, Samar, and parts of Mindanao.

Long-term rehabilitation will be handled by qualified contractors with modern machinery, moving away from manual labor for major highway projects.

Only the country’s largest firms will be assigned to ensure completion within two years with faster delivery and higher quality.

“There’s no final cost yet, but I think the minimum is about P16 billion. That’s the initial figure I saw, but it could increase. A significant amount of spending is required for Maharlika (because) it stretches from North Luzon to Mindanao. It’s really in bad shape,” Dizon said.

Also known as the Pan-Philippine Highway, Maharlika spans over 3,300 kilometers, linking Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao through roads, expressways, bridges, and Ro-Ro routes. It has not had major rehabilitation since the late 1970s.

The DPWH is also planning major upgrades on Metro Manila’s C5 Road, a key beltway connecting Taguig, Pasig, Quezon City, and Las Piñas.