President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday conducted an inspection of the Cabagan – Sta. Maria Bridge in Brgy. Casibarag Norte, Cabagan, Isabela which recently collapsed, pointing to a design flaw as a probable cause.
"Ang puno’t dulo nito [ay] design flaw. It is a design flaw. Mali ‘yung design," Marcos said to reporters after the inspection.
He also pointed out that the original cost of the project was estimated at P1.8 billion, but it was reduced by almost P1 billion to lower expenses.
Consequently, the detailed design proceeded, but it turned out to be weak, as the bridge was supposed to be a suspension bridge, which was not properly implemented.
"Noong una pa ngang ginagawa ito, kasi umabot ng P900-M ang original na budget, umabot ng P1.2-M dahil nagre-fit," said Marcos.
"Bakit nagre-fit? Noong nagco-construction pa lang may nakita na gumagalaw na mahina," he added.
The President further mentioned that the bridge was intended to support a load of just 44 tons, yet over 100 tons passed over it, with two trucks of such weight crossing before it collapsed.
He explained that, in the end, there was no alternative but to restart the project, which would incur more expenses, rendering the money saved initially useless.
"Parang nagtayo na naman tayo ng bagong tulay. Who is responsible is basically who made the design because their design is poor," he added.
Moreover, Marcos reiterated that there should have been more careful monitoring of the vehicles crossing the bridge, considering that it had a specific weight limit for safe passage.
In an exclusive interview with DZRH, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan mentioned that one of the possible causes of the bridge collapse may be overloading.
