EDSA rehab likely moved to 2026 - DPWH

Metro Manila, Philippines - The long-overdue rehabilitation of EDSA will likely begin next year, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan said on Friday, July 4.

In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Bonoan said it will be impractical to kickstart the overhaul now due to the rainy season.

Dubbed “EDSA Rebuild,” the rehabilitation was supposed to start in June after the government announced traffic mitigating measures, including the widely-contested odd-even scheme.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., however, directed agencies to suspend the overhaul and come up with a plan that will speed up rehabilitation works.

“We'll have to look for better weather conditions again during siguro (maybe) next year,” Bonoan said.

“We'll just have to see kung there will be a planning space next year to implement it kasi (because) there are also mga international programs, events actually that will be taking place in 2026,” he added.

In the original plan, the DPWH identified priority sections to be finished in anticipation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in Manila next year. The overhaul was supposed to last until 2027.

Bonoan said the DPWH has yet to submit another recommendation to the president as soon as they test new technologies that could hasten EDSA’s rehabilitation and come up with a timeline.

NewsWatch Plus lead news correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report