MOTIONG, Samar – Without funds for road rehabilitation, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) second Samar engineering district office is now patching road ruts along 64-kilometer section of the national highway from Calbiga to Catbalogan towns in Samar.

District Engineer Pablo Z. Aragon of the second Samar Engineering district said this is one of the palliative measures they are now undertaking to somehow reduce the travel time in the road section from approximately one hour and forty five minutes to only one hour.

The road section from Calbiga to Catbalogan has been known for its cracks and potholes. “As per inventory, this road section was the most critical in the second district of Samar,” said Aragon who attended the launching of the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan (Kalahi), an anti-poverty program.

The patching of the road ruts initiated by the engineering district office before the year ends. Fund is being sourced out from the DPWH regular maintenance allocation.

“We are implementing maintenance effort to improve the surface of the road for the meantime that the total rehabilitation has not yet commenced,” he added.

According to DPWH, Samar national highway is the oldest concrete pavement in Eastern Visayas, having been constructed way back in 1970s.

“Cracks of the pavement occur gradually. The road is beyond economic repair, general rehabilitation work is needed,” Aragon told Leyte Samar Daily Express.

To prevent further deterioration, the DPWH is now covering potholes of the road with limestones.

In separate interview, Jaime Pacanan, DPWH-8 OIC regional director, said that the Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) recently endorsed to the national government the putting up of some P800 million counterpart to the multi-billion peso loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) intended for repair of national road from Calbiga to Allen, Northern Samar.

“Considering that the RDC has already passed the proposed Philippine government counterpart, definitely by next year, this project will be realized,” Pacanan said.

Rehabilitation of the damaged Samar road has been the clamor not only by the Samarnons but also travelers from other parts of the region and in Luzon and Mindanao.