LUCENA CITY โ The Dept. of Public Works and Highways-Quezon 3rd District Engineering Office (DEO) disputed a social media post of a Mulanay municipal councilor questioning the alleged stripping of cemented road in Mulanay, Quezon by the DPWH 3rd DEO which the town official said is still new, roadworthy and passable by motorists.
Mulanay Councilor Gelo Telada Amisola has video-recorded the road section in question and posted it in his Facebook post last Aug. 13 while questioning the roadwork project being undertaken by the DPWH.
โMaayos po ang kalsada, bago pa, wala pang sira pero binubungkal nila. Hindi ko alam ang dahilan, hindi ako engineer, hindi rin ako taga-DPWH, pero tayo bilang mga mamamayan, bilang lokal na lider nagtatanong tayo sa DPWH kung bakit itong kalsada na maayos pa ay binubungkal nila?โ Amisola said while walking along the questioned road section and pointing to the ongoing road construction project.
Michael Rosaria, officer-in-charge of the DPWH-Quezon 3rd DEO clarified and explained to a handful of local media practitioners who tried to seek his side about the questioned โroad strippingโ in Mulanay.
โItโs an asphalt overlay project at may longitudinal cracks na yung road section at ang rehabilitation project diyan ay dumaan sa coordination meeting ng local government unit ng Mulanay. Pag may longitudinal cracks ang road ay kailangan na matibay ang base natin,โ Rosaria said calling the roadwork project as concrete re-blocking consisting of selected sections of almost 500 meters.
Engr. Rosaria stressed that they pinpointed the exact coordinates of re-blocking works as he explained that hot asphalt could not just be put over the road concrete so it involves removal of road sections for the concrete re-blocking.
He wrote a formal letter reply to Councilor Amisola dated Sept. 7 in order to clarify and explain what the DPWH is doing.
โThis is in reference to your social media post requesting public clarification regarding the ongoing re-blocking in Mulanay, Quezon, with project title, Asset Preservation Program โ Preventive Maintenance โ Secondary Roads โ Mulanay-San Francisco Rd,โ Rosaria said in his letter to Amisola describing the project as primarily involving an asphalt overlay with re-blockings in several sections.
Rosaria cited the Department Order No. 200 Series of 2025 on the Guidelines on Identification of Re-blocking which was issued โto establish strict, standardized guidelines for identifying, validating, and funding road re-blocking project nationwide.โ
The policy, it said, โaims to promote transparency, engineering accountability, and the efficient utilization of national infrastructure funds by ensuring that only severely compromised road segments undergo costly re-blocking.โ
Rosaria said that during the project validation process, concrete cracks were noted across several stations which he described as โslab cracking.โ
Attached with his letter to Amisola are the photos showing the actual pavement damages and serves as the basis for the DPWHโs re-blocking activities.
โThis is contrary to your observation that the โbeforeโ photographs, with date stamp Aug. 13, 2026, show longitudinal cracks that were sealed with asphalt sealant, allegedly indicating cracks wider than normal. The attached photographs and actual site condition serve as the basis for determining the appropriate pavement repair and re-blocking works.โ
Rosaria said the photos showed transverse and longitudinal cracks about 19.05 millimeters or ยพ inch within a single block and creates a settlement of greater than 6.35 mm (1/4 in.) between relative or adjacent slab.
At the coordination meeting held on July 13, 2026 at the mayorโs office in Mulanay, Engr. Juan Paulo Monilla, chief of the Construction Section of 3rd DEO explained the various 2026 infrastructure projects to be implemented in Mulanay along with the scope of works of each project.
Monilla presented the preventive maintenance works involving the application of an 80mm asphalt overlay on selected sections of the Mulanay- San Francisco road to restore pavement condition and improve riding quality.
Rosaria showed the certification of several projects listed that have been evaluated and validated by Quezon 3rd DEO which included the Preventive Maintenance โ Secondary Roads โ Mulanay-San Francisco Road project worth P19,579,420.
The DPWH local official expressed hopes that upon completion of the project, it will provide a more convenient, durable and safer roadway for all motorists and road users traversing the Mulanay-San Francisco road.
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