The questioned EDSA rehabilitation project, stretching from Orense Street in Makati City to Monumento in Caloocan City, has a separate contract worth more than P1 billion, in addition to the P4 billion-plus contract awarded to Readycon Trading and Construction for the overall rehabilitation project.

Based on the contract agreement, Readycon was awarded a P1,183,374,622.61 contract by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under its Asset Preservation Program for the preventive maintenance of primary roads along EDSA.

The questioned EDSA rehabilitation project, which developed potholes amid incessant rains in recent days, was earlier specified to use stone mastic asphalt (SMA), a durable, gap-graded road surfacing material that uses an interlocking stone-on-stone skeleton composed of 70 to 80-percent coarse aggregate.

The gaps in the SMA are filled with a rich mixture of bitumen, filler and stabilizing fibers, making the material highly resistant to rutting from heavy traffic and water damage.

Aside from this, the DPWH earlier touted that Phase 2 of the EDSA rehabilitation project used computer-guided and laser-assisted paving machinery, along with advanced asphalt technology, to ensure precise leveling, improve structural strength, and speed up roadwork while minimizing the disruption to commuters.

During an inspection Sunday night, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon expressed disappointment after finding damaged asphalt on a section of the rehabilitated EDSA Busway southbound in Makati City following several days of incessant heavy rain.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. immediately ordered the repair of the damaged asphalt on the EDSA Busway.

Poor planning

Political analyst and University of Sto. Tomas Department of Political Science head, Professor Dennis Coronacion, said the issue of the EDSA Busway barriers’ lack of a proper drainage system highlighted the poor planning and inadequate inspection by the government agencies concerned.

“I cannot understand how the government engineers and planners, who have extensive knowledge and experience, failed to foresee how continuous concrete barriers would act as a dam during regular monsoon rains. I really hope that Secretary Dizon would require the contractor to do the repairs. Otherwise, it would be a waste of taxpayer money,” he told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Earlier, Dizon said the contractor was still responsible for the project and would repair the potholes without using government funds.

As of press time, the secretary had not provided a timeline for the repairs.

The call of Coronacion was echoed by Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Senator Erwin Tulfo who said the committee will focus on exposing substandard government projects and holding those behind them accountable.

“Apart from the new names and issues related to the anomaly in flood control, we will also investigate substandard projects. The bridges, roads, and other public facilities that clearly do not comply with standards — we will investigate them one by one,” Tulfo said in a radio interview.

“It is obvious that there is corruption because you were given money or a budget for those projects but they were not completed or were substandard,” he added.

Tulfo said the panel is coordinating with the DPWH and other relevant government agencies.

According to Tulfo, this investigation was necessary, especially since a large retaining wall along EDSA-Ayala northbound in Makati City recently collapsed after the series of typhoons.

This caused severe traffic congestion as the two main lanes of the roadway were blocked.

The secretary blew his top after discovering that the collapsed section was made of lightweight Hardiflex instead of durable concrete.

While Tulfo stressed his readiness to expand the investigation into the flood control issue if names should surface, he said the Blue Ribbon Committee will also focus on pending corruption issues in other government agencies.