AS the Marcos administration’s infrastructure engineers go through the motion of investigating the collapse of the third span of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela province, the social media is abuzz with old vlogs about this bridge. More than a year before the bridge collapsed, vloggers have praised the aesthetics of the bridge, but questioned the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 2 why it was not opened for regular traffic. Only pedestrians and motorcycles were allowed to use it.
The official reason given is that the newly built bridge will still be retrofitted to allow the correction of some defects in the structure. Since the budget for the bridge comes on a year-to-year basis, the DPWH would need its annual allocation for such repairs. This caused the delay in the retrofitting work, and later, the collapse of the third span when a stupid driver of an overloaded truck carrying boulders pressed his luck with the unfinished structure.
The tragic bridge disaster in Isabela should prod the DPWH to inspect the country’s bridges especially those it has previously assessed as needing some sort of retrofitting or repairs, to determine their actual status.
‘Meanwhile, the Isabela bridge fiasco would find some utility in being the red flag that might save lives
of motorists and passengers…’
In the case of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge, the DPWH Region 2 had already determined that it was unsafe to use. Why then was it not closed, as in barricaded or fenced at both approaches?
This height of inefficiency and misfeasance is close to unforgivable, and President Bongbong Marcos should not be complacent and magnanimous in sparing punishment for those responsible. For once, he should make good on his promise that heads will roll.
Meanwhile, the Isabela bridge fiasco would find some utility in being the red flag that might save lives of motorists and passengers using the Liloan Bridge in Southern Leyte.
The Liloan Bridge, constructed in 1977, connects Panaon Island to Leyte mainland and is a vital structure for the connectivity of Luzon to Mindanao.
“Due to the bridge’s aging structure and prolonged exposure to the salty sea breeze, severe corrosion has progressively deteriorated the steel components,” said Eduardo Santos, district engineer of DPWH Southern Leyte Second District Engineering Office.
He said the degradation is particularly evident at the joints where the cross-bracing connects to the main structural members. Santos added that the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that shook the province last January 23 further worsened the bridge’s condition. Some of the severely corroded cross-bracings were detached as a result of the quake.
Last February 19, the DPWH announced the closure of the right-side lane of Liloan Bridge due to severe corrosion of several steel components. The office also set a maximum weight limit of 5 tons for vehicles than can use the bridge. This affected the buses and trucks traveling from Metro Manila to Mindanao and vice versa. Many of these trucks are carrying cargoes that are two or three times heavier than the maximum weight limit set — here we go again.
With the Liloan Bridge closed and being readied for repairs, traffic has been diverted to the two ports on Panaon Island, with the Philippine Ports Authority and the governments of Maasin City, San Juan, and Padre Burgos asked to allow the passage of ferry boats traversing Southern Leyte and Lipata, Surigao del Norte.
Since we are all in this together, everybody — not just the DPWH—should cooperate in solving our common bridge problem.
