WITH six months before the midterm elections in May 2025, several roads in Cebu City are undergoing asphalting and repairs—an initiative that has drawn criticism from members of the Cebu City Council.
Several councilors have disapproved of the initiative, citing the election season and the backlog of pending requests for road repairs from several barangays.
The City Council debated on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, over the protocol for prioritizing roads for repairs or new paving.
City Councilor Rey Gealon proposed a resolution requesting the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) to recommend to the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) the barangay roads in need of asphalting, based on available resources for road repair and maintenance.
He later amended his proposal to incorporate suggestions from other council members.
City Councilor Franklyn Ong, president of Association of Barangay Councils, responded to Gealon’s resolution by saying that road asphalting involves repairing and maintaining damaged roads by applying new asphalt and paving new roads.
“Generally, one year before the elections, there is an ‘asphalt storm,’” he said.
The official election period starts on Jan. 12, 2025 and ends on June 11, according to the Commission on Elections’ Resolution 10999.
Ong argued that it should be DEPW’s responsibility to determine which roads require repair or asphalting.
He said the ABC has already submitted lists of barangay roads needing repairs or new pavement to the DEPW.
Submitting a new list would overwhelm the department with requests, he said.
“There are many requests that have been pending for several years,” said Ong.
Ong further said that there is a need to standardize road repairs, noting instances where contractors simply added new asphalt without proper scraping, causing roads to rise by a few centimeters. This leaves the shoulders or edges of roads sunken, posing danger to residents and pedestrians, he said.
Ong later directed the discussion to City Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the committee on infrastructure and the person responsible for deciding where and when to asphalt roads.
Guardo’s roles
Guardo clarified that the decision is under the discretion of the city mayor. His roles include supervision of proposed and ongoing road asphalting initiatives in the city.
Guardo said the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) has a list of barangay roads that need asphalting.
He explained that there are three modes for road maintenance and paving initiatives.
DEPW maintains a list of barangay roads categorized by condition, with the worst requiring private contractors and falling under the city mayor’s discretion.
Patching, another method of repair, is conducted by City workers using materials supplied by contractors.
Guardo said the City is considering maximizing its asphalt batching plant in Barangay Budlaan for road repairs and patching.
City Councilor Jose Lorenzo Abellanosa agreed with Ong’s observations, saying road repairs happen when the election period nears. He said there were instances where even well-maintained roads were repaired and questioned the fairness of prioritizing some barangays over others.
Guardo noted that intensified road maintenance began in the last quarter of 2024. He said over P100 million had been allocated in previous years for road asphalting, with a significant portion used for the South Road Properties (SRP) alternative route, also known as the Sinulog Route.
Zafra’s proposal
City Councilor Phillip Zafra defended the allocation for the SRP, citing its benefits for motorists despite the backlog of barangay requests. He proposed a motion asking the city mayor to prioritize ABC and barangay officials’ input in determining road asphalting and repairs in collaboration with DEPW.
Gealon clarified that his resolution aimed to formalize barangay requests for asphalting projects on a first-come, first-served basis to avoid politicizing these initiatives.
City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos suggested that barangay officials be informed in advance and present during civil works to prevent projects from being used for political campaigns.
She said these initiatives are funded by taxpayers and should not serve electoral purposes. Guardo responded that they always coordinate with barangay officials before project commencement.
City Councilor James Anthony Cuenco recommended prioritizing asphalting requests submitted to the ABC since 2016, responding to Abellanosa’s concerns about pending requests dating back to 2015.
In a related motion, Abellanosa requested DEPW to submit a report detailing the road asphalting budget and completed works.
Ong proposed reviewing the possibility of barangay councils initiating their own road repairs, such as patching potholes, instead of waiting for the city government. / EHP