DPWH: Unfinished Iloilo flyover needs P285 million more to complete
By Tara Yap
THE unfinished Aganan Flyover in Pavia town, Iloilo province. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that the unfinished P802-million flyover in Pavia town, Iloilo province needs an additional P285 million to complete.
DPWH-6 Assistant Regional Director Al Fruto told members of the Pavia Municipal Council on Monday, Sept. 29, that the amount is for jet grouting and road widening.
Fruto noted it is still unclear if the money will be sourced from the 2026 General Appropriations Act which has not yet been approved.
The Aganan Flyover remains unfinished more than five years after construction started in July 2020.
Construction was halted in September 2022 when the nearby Ungka Flyover, which connects Pavia and neighboring Iloilo City, was closed to vehicular traffic following structural problems.
Contractor International Builders Corp. (IBC) was initially blamed but the fault was traced to lapses of the United Technology Consolidated Partnership (UTCP) hired by the DPWH Bureau of Design.
The UTCP initially said that the ground is already stable at around 20 to 24 meters. But this was later found to be wrong. Instead, a third-party firm found out that soil stability is supposed to be between 40 to 54 meters.
The flyover’s cost is expected to balloon to more than P1 billion.
The DPWH-6 claimed that out of the P802-million original funding, the remaining P308 million was not used.
The DPWH-6 also said that fixing the flyover would cost around P210 million but the amount has balooned to P285 million.
The Aganan Flyover is one of the two controversial flyovers pushed by former Senate President Franklin Drilon, an Ilonggo, before he retired from politics.
The Aganan Flyover was constructed to decongest heavy traffic from towns in central Iloilo province and Iloilo City.