DAVAO CITY – The provincial government of Davao del Norte has raised serious red flags over more than P1 billion worth of national public works projects after releasing a 31-page Special Infrastructure and Social Service Delivery Inspection Report documenting inflated costs, construction defects, and planning lapses.

Submitted by Gov. Edwin I. Jubahib to multiple national government agencies on Sept. 25, the report scrutinized 11 Department of Public Works and Highways projects, a rare exercise of local oversight on projects typically criticized for overpricing, delays, and premature deterioration.

The Tuganay Bridge system in Carmen town along the Maharlika Highway is central to government inspection.

The report pointed out that the Tuganay Bridge No. 1 cost P516 million for a 420-meter, six-lane reinforced concrete deck girder bridge — equivalent to P1.23 million per meter, nearly 38 percent more expensive than the province’s bridge program.

Despite its completion only in February 2024, provincial engineers reported scaling and raveling of pavement, cracks on approaches, and drainage blockages caused by unsuitable base materials and recycled debris.

The second span, Tuganay Bridge No. 2, funded for P110 million and still under construction, already showed scaling and cracks before turnover, with inspectors citing ineffective traffic management and poor materials. The report recommends further coring and rebound hammer tests and immediate clearing of waterways to prevent flooding.

Another project inspected in the province was the P150.28-million Malitbog–Kasilak–Consolacion section of the Tagum–Panabo Circumferential Road, completed in December 2022 which was in poor shape.

Inspectors documented widespread scaling, potholes, multiple cracks, and faded lane markings in the Malitbog–Kasilak–Consolacion section of the Tagum–Panabo Circumferential Road.

The provincial team urged DPWH-11 to verify the road’s condition and compel the contractor, MAC Builders, to fix deficiencies within the defects-liability period.

In Samal Island, several asphalt overlay and preventive maintenance projects were priced at P26 million per kilometer, nearly equal to the cost of building new concrete roads, according to the report.

Three projects — Contract IDs 23L00152, 24L00224, and 24L00225 — involved overlays as thin as 80 millimeters but were priced close to full concrete pavement rates.

Jubahib urged DPWH planners to reassess costing standards and allow provincial quality assurance testing.

Meanwhile, a P102.48-million road widening project achieved only 5.66 percent completion before being suspended over right-of-way disputes, despite involving an existing concrete road.

Several other projects — worth P21 million to P100 million each — were stopped due to waterline relocations, electrical pole obstructions, and unresolved negotiations with landowners.

The inspection highlighted four systemic issues across the province.

First was cost escalation. The report said preventive maintenance is priced like new construction.

Second is the premature deterioration – roads and bridges showing cracks within one to two years.

Third, planning failures – multi-million peso works stalled by right-of-way and utility conflicts – and fourth transparency gaps where the local government denied access to complete financial and disbursement data.

The province urged DPWH district offices to submit detailed financial accomplishment reports, convene coordination meetings with planners and contractors, and allow independent quality assurance testing.

The inspection team said it has conducted rebound hammer testing on some structures, including a pedestrian overpass near Tuganay Bridge.

The report listed several contractors whose projects allegedly showed deficiencies – Nueda Builders, R.A. Pahati Construction, MAC Builders, Hi-View Resources, Rely Construction, and EACN Construction.

“The demand for accountability is clear,” said the report that emphasized the need for transparency, accountability, and good governance in infrastructure spending.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon ordered a sweeping audit of all the infrastructure projects facing delays, ballooning costs, and mounting public criticism during a press briefing with the Davao media on the same date at the DPWH Engineering Office in Panacan, Davao City.

Dizon directed DPWH-11 regional director Juby B. Cordon to submit a complete account of the Tuganay Bridge, calling it a prime example of inefficiency and alleged corruption in the agency. He stressed that the deeper issue is the agency’s pervasive corruption, which, he said, must be rooted out entirely.

In coordination with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, Dizon announced that the department will conduct a comprehensive audit of regional projects that are stalled or lagging far behind their timelines.

The review will include the unfinished Ma-a Flyover in Davao City, which broke ground in April 2022 but has yet to be completed, along with major flood control initiatives in Mawab, Davao de Oro, and Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.

Dizon instructed officials to submit records on a P900-million flood control project in Laverna, which has faced years of delay over right-of-way issues, an explanation he said is frequently invoked to conceal more serious problems.