By Brian Campued
As part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to improve connectivity across the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored the importance of rehabilitating and modernizing the country’s primary transport corridor, the Maharlika Highway.
The President personally inspected the ongoing rehabilitation project of Maharlika Highway in Pinabacdao, Samar on Friday to ensure that the project’s completion remains on schedule and will boost interconnectivity, mobility, and economic growth in Eastern Visayas.
The rehabilitation project is expected to be finished in August 2026, significantly reducing travel time between Tacloban City and Catbalogan City from about three hours to one hour and 45 minutes.
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the project will also lower transportation costs, improve logistics for farmers and entrepreneurs, and provide better access to essential services such as education and healthcare.
It will likewise ensure faster delivery of relief goods and deployment of recovery operations during calamities.
During the inspection, Marcos Jr. was accompanied by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon, who earlier ordered sweeping rehabilitation works on Maharlika Highway after signs of deterioration were observed over the years, causing inconvenience to travelers.
Also known as the Pan-Philippine Highway, Maharlika Highway stretches over 3,300 kilometers, linking Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao through a network of roads, bridges, expressways, and ferry connections.
“Ang dumadaan sa Maharlika Highway na mga kababayan natin, milyon-milyon ‘yan… at ‘yan ay sira-sira all over the country… At grabe ang kalbaryo, grabe ang hirap na dinaranas ng mga kababayan natin araw-araw dahil sa ganyang sitwasyon ng Maharlika Highway,” Sec. Dizon said in a press conference in January.
-jpv
