President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has demanded accountability for the Cabagan–Santa Maria Bridge collapse in Isabela last month, lawyer Claire Castro, Undersecretary and Press Officer of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Wednesday.
During a press briefing in Malacañang, Castro said the President wanted all officials involved in the construction of the infrastructure project to be held accountable for the incident.
“Hindi lamang po ang [mga opisyal ng] nakaraang administrasyon ang puwedeng panagutin dito. Lahat po [ng mga opisyal] hanggang sa ngayon na maaaring may liability dito kung mayroon man, ay dapat managot,” Castro said.
She said that initial findings from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) indicated poor maintenance and structural “underdesign” contributed to the mishap on February 27.
“Noong nagkaroon po kami ng pakikipag-usap kay (DPWH) Secretary (Manuel) Bonoan, nagkaroon na po talaga ng imbestigasyon. But it’s [only] initial investigation,” Castro said.
“Ang sabi po ay nagkaroon po ito [ng problema] dahil sa mga earthquakes. Sa tagal ng panahon, hindi na siya naging matibay at kailangang i-retrofit sa panahon po ngayon. Ang nakikita po so far ay nagkaroon ng under design,” she added.
Castro stated that the investigation revealed that three overloaded trucks crossed the bridge one after the other, causing it to collapse. As a result, Bonoan calls for the truck operators or owners to be held accountable for the damage as the bridge was designed for light vehicles only.
“Noong dumaan [ang mga trak] hindi naging maayos dahil mga heavy vehicles ito na hindi po naaayon doon sa kakayanan ng tulay,” Castro added.
“Kaya po isa sa mga sinasabi ni Secretary Bonoan ay maaari po na mapanagot din iyong may-ari or korporasyon na may-ari ng dump trucks. Iyon pa lang ang [laman] ng initial investigation,” she explained.
The Cabagan–Santa Maria Bridge construction began in November 2014 and was completed on February 1, 2025, at a total cost of PHP 1.22 billion.
On February 27, the bridge collapsed after three boulder-laden dump trucks weighing approximately 102 tons tried crossing the ramp. | PND
