2 weeks Ago By John Paul Seblos
WITH 35 days remaining before the national and local elections, road asphalting work in Cebu City is on track to reach 90 percent completion. Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the infrastructure committee, announced that the asphalting project is currently 70 percent complete. “So far, I would say the completion is at 70 percent.
Within the next month leading up to the election, which is approximately 40 days from now, we can still achieve around 90 percent completion for the asphalting,” he stated in a phone interview on Sunday, April 6, 2025. Guardo said the current focus of the asphalting efforts is on the mountain barangays. However, he did not specify the particular mountain barangays where work is presently underway.
“Almost all mountain barangays have already experienced asphalting. Whether it’s in the north or south, we don’t have a preference as long as we identify areas that are severely damaged based on the assessment of the engineering department,” he explained. Guardo indicated that full completion of the asphalting project is expected after the elections.
Regarding the 45-day election ban on the disbursement of public funds, Guardo clarified that road asphalting is not covered by this restriction. He explained that road asphalting is considered part of regular maintenance. “Asphalting is part of maintenance, and this is an ongoing project not covered by the election ban.
Therefore, we will continue to implement it because we are ensuring the safety of commuters, both in public and private vehicles,” he said. “There is no prohibition, and asphalting is not included in the election ban, so we will continue.” When questioned about measures to ensure the durability of the asphalt overlay, Guardo explained that under normal circumstances, it typically lasts for two to three years.
He stated that there is a “by contract” mode of procurement where a thicker overlay is used, which can last up to five years. However, this option is significantly more costly for the City. According to previous reports from SunStar Cebu, Guardo had mentioned that the City’s 2025 budget allocates P240 million for road paving and repairs.
He assured that available funds would be used effectively to address requests from various barangays. The executive department initially proposed a P140 million allocation for road asphalting in the first supplemental budget, which was passed on March 26. However, this amount was reduced to P100 million to accommodate an increase in the service excellence incentive (Charter Day bonus) for regular and casual City Hall employees, raising it from P25,000 to P35,000.
Guardo pointed out that many of these requests date back to previous administrations, in addition to new requests from mountain barangays. Guardo noted that most major roads and thoroughfares in downtown Cebu are already paved, while roads in mountain barangays often remain unpaved, forcing motorists to travel on dirt paths. Councilor Franklyn Ong, president of the Association of Barangay Councils, had previously highlighted a pattern of increased road asphalting projects, often referred to as the “asphalt storm,” during election years.
He urged caution to prevent these projects from being used for political advantage. In response to Ong’s concerns, Guardo emphasized that these projects are part of the City’s regular road maintenance program and are not politically motivated. / JPS.
