ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Useless' Kennon Road projects linked to irregularities under past administration, DPWH chief says

'Useless' Kennon Road projects linked to irregularities under past administration, DPWH chief says

Published Aug 26, 2025 11:36 am  |  Updated Aug 26, 2025 01:00 pm

At A Glance

  • Kennon Road projects described as "useless" by President Marcos linked to irregularities under the previous administration.
  • Current projects, including rock netting and slope protection, undergo strict technical review and approval, DPWH chief says.
  • Structures in Tuba, Benguet, that failed to prevent erosion were likely implemented before Bonoan's tenure.
  • Marcos criticized the P273.93-million rock shed for weak and undersized protection wall causing erosion.
  • President also alleged a 75-percent kickback in the rock netting contract.
  • Rock netting defended as a globally recognized engineering solution requiring proper assessment.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (left) inspects the P273.93-million rock shed along Kennon Road in Benguet, which he called “useless” after finding erosion beneath the road caused by a weak and undersized protection wall. (Photo from President Marcos’ Facebook page)
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (left) inspects the P273.93-million rock shed along Kennon Road in Benguet, which he called “useless” after finding erosion beneath the road caused by a weak and undersized protection wall. (Photo from President Marcos’ Facebook page)
The Kennon Road infrastructure projects earlier described by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as “useless” were traced to irregularities committed under the previous administration, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan said on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
In a television interview, Bonoan emphasized that projects under his watch, including rock netting and slope protection, undergo strict technical review and approval before construction.
He clarified that the structures in Tuba, Benguet—which failed to prevent erosion—were likely implemented before his tenure.
“I am sure that the rock netting projects being implemented now under my tenure have undergone technical investigation, passed through the proper process, and secured approval from our Bureau of Design before construction,” Bonoan said.
Marcos, who inspected two Kennon Road projects in Benguet on Sunday, criticized the P273.93-million rock shed after discovering erosion beneath the road caused by a weak and undersized protection wall.
He also flagged the installed rock netting, alleging the contract was tainted by a 75-percent kickback.
“You can see it beneath the tunnel, it has already eroded. The slope protection near the riverbank is very low and weak. So when the water came in and grew heavier, it was immediately carried away,” the President said.
Bonoan, however, defended rock netting as a globally recognized solution when properly designed and applied.
“Rock netting is a technical engineering solution used to stabilize slopes. It is applied in mountain areas when deemed technically appropriate,” he explained.
He added that a thorough assessment is required before such interventions are adopted.

Related Tags

Kennon Road DPWH rockshed rock netting Benguet irregularities
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.