1 month ago
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A CATHOLIC diocese in the province of Quezon has called on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the provincial government to address the worsening road situation along the province's primary highways.
In an open letter, Bishop Eugenius Cañete of Gumaca said that the state of the roads in Quezon is the "worst" in the Calabarzon region and has brought "shame" to the province.
"We, the bishop, priests, religious, lay leaders, and the Filipino people, call for the improvement of the main highways in Quezon province," Cañete said.
Cañete said the badly damaged major highways of the province has been the subject of complaints from residents and motorists but they all fell on deaf ear, adding that it did not result only to monstrous traffic in the area, but also accidents and heavy losses to businesses.
The prelate said that last year, a lot of residents forgo their plans to go home during the observance of All Souls' Day and the Holiday season out of fear of being stuck for hours in traffic.
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The prelate also pointed out that if fixes were done on the road, they were all "temporary," calling them as insufficient and lacking a long-term solution to the region's worsening infrastructure problems.
"It reflects a political culture where survival in power is the primary agenda. The wealth of the nation is being used to sustain political control while neglecting the greater good, particularly for the most vulnerable," he said.
The DPWH regional office in Calabarzon acknowledged that the highway was really in dire need for repair but said that while they have the budget for maintenance, they were not enough to repair all the damaged sections of the Maharlika Highways which links Quezon to the Bicol Region.
It attributed the heavy damage on the road to the heavy rainfall brought by the series of typhoons during the last quarter of 2024.
Based in its latest advisory, dated Feb. 4, 2025, the DPWH Quezon 4th District Engineering Office informed the public of a one-way traffic scheme for all vehicles along Maharlika Highway (Gumaca poblacion) to facilitate asphalt rotomilling works.
It also did the same road works on Jan. 24-26, 2025.
Quezon Gov. Angelina Tan, for her part, said that she had already taken up the matter with DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
The governor, whose husband is DPWH Region 2 director Ronnel Tan, said that because of the heavy damage on Quezon's main highways, the province is now being called the "lubak" (pothole) capital of the Philippines.
She estimated that about 70 percent of Maharlika Highway, also known as Pan-Philippine Highways, needed repair.
The Maharlika Highway is a network of roads, expressways, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao in the Philippines, serving as the country's principal transport backbone.
