The F. Manalo Bridge in Pasig City sustained damages after a number of vessels had crashed into it, pulled at by powerful currents from the Marikina River.
Thirteen barges and tow boats rammed into the bridge at around 4 PM on Wednesday, July 24, when the river rose to 20.7 meters. Aside from damages to the bridge, two boats were capsized, others stuck beneath the bridge, or had washed onto other bridges.
The F. Manalo Bridge has been consequently closed for damage checks. Edniel Parrosa, who was reporting on the incident, sighted Local Government Unit (LGU) personnel, among them possibly engineers, inspecting the structure. Not even media was allowed in.
In his live report, made on an adjacent bridge approaching Circulo Verde, Parrosa showed that F. Manalo was only one of three bridges which had experienced collisions with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) vessels.
The vessels came through the F. Manalo Bridge first, then through the bridge Parrosa was atop, and lastly, onto the Manggahan Floodgate. The MMDA have said the floodgate was not affected; all the same, it is undergoing assessment as well.
The Marikina river's currents are no longer as strong, and its water level has dropped to the first alarm since past 4 AM.
