1.2-B PESO BRIDGE IN ISABELA COLLAPSED

(Photo courtesy of Philstar Global)

COLLAPSED BRIDGE - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised to hold those responsible for the newly renovated Cabagan-Sta accountable. Maria Bridge in the province of Isabela.

On Saturday, March 1, Malacañang declared that Marcos had ordered a probe into the incident and that corruption would not go unpunished if it was discovered.

Claire Castro of the Palace Press Office stated in Filipino that "those responsible must be held accountable if there is any trace of corruption in what happened from 2014 until now."

When a dump truck carrying boulders weighing around 102 tons crossed over the bridge Thursday evening, February 27, it partially collapsed. The bridge was reopened less than a month ago following retrofitting.

Six people, including a toddler, were hurt in the event, which also damaged four cars.

Experts from the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) Bureau of Design and Bureau of Construction are serving as consultants for the evaluation. The bridge, which is 990 meters long and cost PHP 1.228 billion to build, was built by R.D. Interior, Jr. Building.

Castro pointed out that local government entities are in charge of keeping an eye on the structural soundness of the bridges in their jurisdictions and working with DPWH to resolve any problems.

Those proven to be careless or corrupt "must face consequences, including imprisonment," she continued.

Although the DPWH has not yet identified the precise reason of the collapse, it has observed that the weight of the dump truck exceeded the bridge's design capability. To evaluate possible design defects or other contributing variables, investigations are still underway.

Source: Philstar Global

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