THE administration of former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama is being held accountable for the backlog of asphalting requests from the city’s 80 barangays.
Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia stated that the previous administration only performed asphalting work at the South Road Properties (SRP) over the last three years, leading to deteriorating road conditions throughout the city.
Garcia remarked, “For the last three years, the previous administration under the previous mayor did not asphalt any roads of Cebu City, and that is the reason why bati kaayog conditions ang atoang Cebu City roads (the condition of our roads is poor),” during a press conference on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
He acknowledged that while roads at the SRP were asphalted due to their significance in the Sinulog route for 2023 and 2024, which were held there, all other areas in Cebu received no attention.
Despite having up to five teams working on current asphalting projects, delays persist due to the extensive volume and kilometers of roads needing coverage.
Garcia emphasized that bureaucracy is not a contributing factor to these delays.
He confirmed that asphalt materials have been procured and are ready for application.
“We have about four to five teams working every day, but then kuwang gihapon (still not enough). How many kilometers of roads do we have here in Cebu City? With 80 barangays, there are still mountain barangays that need to be scaled,” he explained.
Garcia expressed feeling overwhelmed by the influx of asphalting requests.
He added, “Can you imagine three years, nothing happened despite budgetary allocations? So I don’t know what they did last time.”
Attempts by SunStar to contact former mayor Rama went unanswered as of press time.
In a previous report by SunStar, Franklyn Ong, president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) and an ex-officio councilor, said an “asphalt storm” typically occurs a year before elections.
The official election period for this year’s midterm elections commenced on Jan. 12 and will conclude on June 11, as per the Commission on Elections’ Resolution 10999.
Ong noted that the ABC has already submitted lists of barangay roads requiring repairs or new pavement to the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW).
He cautioned that submitting a new list would overwhelm the department with requests.
Ong also highlighted the need for standardizing road repairs, pointing out cases where contractors simply added new asphalt without proper scraping, which raises roads by several centimeters and leaves shoulders or edges sunken — a potential hazard for residents and pedestrians.
The discussion shifted to Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the committee on infrastructure responsible for determining where and when roads should be asphalted.
Guardo, though, clarified that such decisions fall under the mayor’s discretion and stated his responsibilities include overseeing proposed and ongoing road asphalting initiatives within the city.
He indicated that DEPW maintains a list of barangay roads categorized by condition; those in worst condition require private contractors and are subject to mayoral discretion.
Patching is another repair method conducted by city workers using materials supplied by contractors.
Councilor Jose Lorenzo Abellanosa supported Ong’s observations regarding road repairs often coinciding with election cycles, citing examples where even well-maintained roads were repaired while questioning the fairness of prioritizing certain barangays over others.
Guardo noted that intensified road maintenance began in the last quarter of 2024.
He reported that over P100 million had been allocated in previous years for asphalting projects, with a significant portion directed toward the SRP alternative route—also known as the Sinulog route. / JPS