DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon (right) inspects the unfinished Aganan Flyover in Iloilo. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY – Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon claimed that the completion of the unfinished flyover in Iloilo will be the Christmas gift of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the people of Iloilo.
“Magiging Christmas gift eto ni PBBM sa taga-Iloilo. Christmas 2026 ha (It will be PBBM’s Christmas gift to the people of Iloilo. Christmas 2026),” said Dizon after inspecting the flyover on Monday, Jan. 19. “Let me be clear. The President instructed me to finish it this year,” added Dizon.
Dizon told Manila Bulletin that P229 million has been allocated to complete the structure and costing will balloon to more than P1 billion as the initial budget was only pegged at P802 million.
The Aganan Flyover is one of the two controversial Iloilo flyovers lobbied by former Senate President Franklin Drilon. The other was Ungka Flyover.
Initially constructed in July 2020, DPWH stopped construction in September 2022 when the nearby Ungka Flyover started showing cracks and sinking.
Similar to what was done to fix the Ungka Flyover, the Aganan Flyover will also undergo a jet grouting process to stabilize the soil to ensure the ground can withstand the weight of the flyover.
The two substandard flyovers were built to ease traffic, but became a burden for many. These are on a major national road that connects towns in the second and third districts of Iloilo to Iloilo City.
Dizon was accompanied by outgoing DPWH-6 Director Al Fruto during the inspection.