Palace exec: better check bridges built under Du30
- Following the collapse of a new bridge in Isabela that President Marcos said had a “poor, weak” design, it would be good to “inspect all the bridges” built by the Duterte administration, declared Malacañang.
- Mr. Marcos said the project cost was supposed to have been P1.8 billion, but for cost-saving reasons, it was brought down to under P1 billion.
- The construction of the bridge spanned three administrations, beginning with President Benigno Aquino III, but 90 percent of it was completed during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte and retrofitted under Mr. Marcos. The 990-meter bridge, which crosses the Cagayan River in Isabela, and opened to vehicular traffic in February, allegedly suffered from “under-design.”
A Malacañang official on Thursday proposed that the government inspect bridges constructed during the Duterte administration following the collapse of a newly opened one in Isabela which President Marcos said was due to cost cuts that resulted in a “flawed” design.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro, the Palace press officer, said the inspection would determine whether other bridges were “under-designed” allegedly like the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Cabagan, Isabela, which collapsed last week, injuring eight people and damaging several vehicles.
“It’s also good to suggest—and the administration will probably do this—that we inspect all of the bridges, especially those built during the time of former President Duterte, with the help of the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) and the local government units,” she said.
“We don’t know if these were also under-designed. So, as much as possible, all of them should be inspected.”
Castro made the remarks during a press briefing after President Marcos visited the bridge Thursday morning and received a briefing on the incident from Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
Mr. Marcos blamed the bridge collapse on cost-cutting which led to a “flawed, poor” design and on overloading.
“The cause of this is a design flaw. The design was wrong,” he said.
Mr. Marcos said the project cost was supposed to have been P1.8 billion, but for cost-saving reasons, it was brought down to under P1 billion.
“So, when the detailed design was made, the design was really weak,” Mr. Marcos told reporters after inspecting the damaged span.
What was billed as a suspension bridge did not have the cables to support its arches, the President said.
“This is the only suspension bridge in the world that I’ve seen that is not supported by cables. As you can see, the steel gave way. If they used cables, it wouldn’t collapse,” Mr. Marcos said.
“And those trucks should never have been on the bridge. So, who is responsible for that?” he said, noting that the bridge was designed to support a 44-ton load.
But three trucks carrying rocks weighing a total of 100 tons attempted to use it. The first one was able to cross the bridge, but one section of the bridge over a dry riverbed gave way under the second truck.
The President said that the P900 million initially spent for the bridge went up to P1.2 billion because of retrofitting.
“Now we have to go back to zero. We will spend a lot again,” he said, lamenting the costs. “We will replace the support of the bridge, but it’s like constructing a new bridge.”
Asked who would be held liable, the President said he wanted to fix the problem first but vowed to find the culprit.
‘We will find out’
“Believe me, we will find out who is responsible. Who is responsible is basically who made the design because their design was poor. Look what happened. And then also, those trucks should never have been on the bridge. So, who’s liable for that, is it the province?” Mr. Marcos said.
He added that authorities also have to be more careful in monitoring the load capacity of bridges and the weight of vehicles crossing them.
Castro said the construction of the bridge spanned three administrations, beginning with President Benigno Aquino III, but 90 percent of it was completed during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte and retrofitted under Mr. Marcos.
She earlier said the 990-meter bridge, which crosses the Cagayan River in Isabela, and opened to vehicular traffic in February, allegedly suffered from “under-design,” based on an initial investigation.
In engineering, an under-design means that a structure, system, or component has insufficient capacity, strength, or performance to meet expected loads, stresses, or operational requirements.
‘Duterte legacy’
During Thursday’s press briefing, Castro said the government’s investigation would also determine why the bridge construction proceeded despite the alleged flawed design.
“This will be investigated, from the time that the design was crafted, up to the time that it was continued even if the design was poor. Why it was completed during the term of the former President and it was even labeled as part of the Duterte legacy,” she said.
Castro said the investigation would also look into any liability of officials in the Marcos administration.
“There will also be an investigation if someone made money from this, not once, not twice, but many times. The President will find out all of this through this investigation,” she added.
Name those responsible
Members of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives have called for a congressional inquiry into the incident.
House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro (ACT Teachers party list), House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas (Gabriela party list) and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel filed House Resolution No. 2249, urging an investigation to identify those responsible and determine whether corruption or negligence played a role.
“Allegations of corruption, inadequate inspections, substandard materials, and possible collusion between contractors and government officials have surfaced, as the DPWH has long been perceived as an agency plagued with corruption, as evidenced by multiple cases of infrastructure failures across the country,” the resolution stated. —WITH A REPORT FROM VILLAMOR VISAYA JR.
