Last week’s torrential rains and floods caused the potholes that need to be repaired with asphalt overlay, the Department of Public Works and Highways said over the weekend.
In a radio interview, at Radyo 630, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said it’s wrong to say that the department used substandard asphalt to cover these potholes, adding that asphalt and water simply don’t mix.
“Siguro sa patuloy na pag-ulan kaya nagkakaroon tayo ng ganoong potholes sa mga kalsada natin. Kaya kailangan naming kumpunihin at ganito talaga ang phenomenon ng mga kalsada natin (The continues rains disfigured our road creating potholes. That’s why we need to repai them. We have this phenomenon for a long time),” Bonoan explained.
“And it’s not substandard,” he added, referring to asphalt materials they used to patch the potholes.
“Okay naman, may specification naman ang ginagawa natin sa pagkumpuni na kalsada. Yung sinasabi natin na — alalahanin din natin ang pavements katulad ng sa EDSA, matagal nang nilatag yan. Hindi naman isang taon siguro na nailatag tapos masisira kaagad, mayroon namang quality yung nilalagay naming materyales diyan (There are specifications that we should follow in every road repairs we conducted. The pavements of EDSA were there for a long time. There’s quality to the materials we have put as pavements. It took years to disfigure),” Bonoan defended.
Bonoan said this is also the reason why they need to conduct road repairs almost every weekend nowadays, as the asphalt patching when mixed with flood waters is easily disfigured.
Bonoan made the statement over the criticism hurled by Senator JV Ejercito, who said that the asphalt’s quality should be good so this would not be done from time to time.