PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the immediate rehabilitation of the Maharlika Highway, tapping billions in projected savings from drastic cost-cutting reforms at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
This was disclosed by House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan, whose home region of Eastern Visayas has long suffered from the highway’s deteriorated condition.
Libanan said the President’s directive was relayed to him by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon during a brief conversation on the sidelines of the December 9 meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
Dizon made it clear that the President personally instructed him to prioritize the restoration of the damaged sections of the Maharlika Highway, according to Libanan.
“We welcome this development, especially because we, members of Congress from the Samar provinces, have been very vocal about the delays in repairing the Maharlika Highway,” Libanan said.
“Secretary Dizon told me that the DPWH will use the savings from sweeping cost reforms to fund the highway’s long-overdue restoration,” Libanan added.
Libanan is one of only three House members sitting on the 20-member LEDAC, the government’s highest policy-coordination body chaired by the President.
The council aligns the priority measures of the executive and legislative branches to ensure the timely passage and execution of the government’s development agenda.
Dizon earlier announced that the DPWH expects to generate up to ₱60 billion in savings for 2026 by aligning the prices of construction materials—such as steel, gravel, and cement—with prevailing market rates.
The reforms aim to eliminate price inflation, curb corruption, and free up funds for more infrastructure projects nationwide.
The Maharlika Highway—also known as Daang Maharlika or the Pan-Philippine Highway—is the country’s longest and most critical transport corridor.
Spanning more than 3,300 kilometers from Laoag City in the north to Zamboanga City in the south, it links Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao through a system of roads, expressways, bridges, and RORO routes.
It is the backbone of the country’s north–south mobility and a vital conduit for trade, travel, and emergency response.
The deteriorated portions of the highway, particularly in Samar Island, have been a long-running source of frustration.
Libanan himself once delivered a privileged speech berating past DPWH officials for allowing major sections to fall into disrepair. Since 2022, he has repeatedly pushed for the road’s rehabilitation during annual DPWH budget hearings.
A native of Eastern Samar and former representative of the province’s lone district, Libanan said the President’s directive represents a long-awaited breakthrough for the region and a significant step toward safer and more reliable inter-island connectivity.
