Gov’t hit: Already good roads repaired while Macapagal Ave rots

The small portion of the southbound lane of Macapagal Avenue has been left unattended for two years.

MANILA, Philippines — A lawyer has called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to allocate “a modest portion” of government funds for the repair of a damaged portion of Macapagal Avenue, which has caused heavy traffic in the area.

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal made this statement on Wednesday as he expressed his dismay at the government’s repair of roads in good condition while neglecting damaged ones.

“How is it that our government finds the budget to overhaul perfectly fine roads, yet cannot allocate a fraction of that amount to repair a few meters of badly damaged road?” Macalintal said.

READ: MMDA sets 20 rerouting schemes for Edsa rehab

As the rehabilitation of the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) is set to begin in mid-June, Macalintal said that allocating a “modest portion” of the funds to cover road repairs within the damaged portion of the southbound lane of Macapagal Avenue near the Coastal Road can “solve once and for all” the traffic situation in the area.

Around P8.7 billion is allocated for the Edsa rehabilitation, or what the government described as a “rebuilding” project, which will last until 2027.

Macalintal highlighted the repair work on the northbound and southbound lanes of Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City, noting that it was undertaken despite the lanes being functional.

Meanwhile, he said that the small portion of the southbound lane of the same Macapagal Avenue has been left unattended despite being damaged and filled with potholes.

“Yet, this has been left unattended for nearly two years now,” he said.

READ: How will Edsa be rebuilt? Here are the details

“The very bad condition of this road, though minor in scope, causes significant traffic buildup during rush hours, although it could be repaired at a very minimal cost,” Macalintal added.

The Edsa rehabilitation aims to rebuild and reconstruct the 23.8-kilometer southbound and northbound lanes of Edsa, which Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan said will cover 200 kilometers of lanes if each lane in both directions is counted.

Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon earlier assured the public that the whole stretch of Edsa will not be closed, as the construction will be done lane by lane.

With this, Dizon said that the Edsa Carousel will remain operational for commuters. /das/abc