President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will make sure that heads will roll following the recent collapse of the newly retrofitted Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela province, Malacañang said on Saturday.
“Off with his head!” Critics of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) screamed, however, both in social media and traditional media. They were hitting the secretary of the DPWH, Manuel Bonoan, who as head of the infrastructure department could be held liable for the misfeasance of his personnel and staff.
It should have been incumbent on President Bongbong to immediately suspend or replace Secretary Bonoan, but he did not.
“Nagkausap kami ni Pangulo kahapon regarding this. Ito talaga ay papa-imbestigahan(The President and I talked yesterday regarding this. This is really going to be investigated),” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during the Radyo Pilipinas’ Prangkahan Na! Program.
“Kung may bahid man ng korapsyon sa nangyaring ito mula pa noong 2014 hanggang sa ngayon, kung meron man, hindi talaga puwedeng hindi managot. Iyan ang sagot ng Pangulo, lalo na kung may bahid ng korapsyon(If there is any trace of corruption in what happened from 2014 until now, they must really be held accountable. That's the President's answer)."
While Castro said the collapse of the newly reopened bridge in Isabela is “not just an ordinary case,” the government still needs to determine the real cause of the incident.
She said it is within the local government unit’s mandate to assess the integrity of the entire structure of the bridge and coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) if there is a problem.
“Kapag nalaman natin kung sino ang merong pagkakamali dito at may bahid nga ng korapsyon, kung may bahid ng korapsyon ay dapat may managot, makulong(When we find out who made a mistake here and there is a trace of corruption, if there is a trace of corruption, someone should be held accountable, sent to jail),” she said.
The third span of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge, measuring 60 meters, collapsed at about 8 p.m. on Thursday when a dump truck carrying boulders with an estimated gross vehicle weight of about 102 tons passed over the bridge.
According to reports, six people on board four vehicles, including a child, were injured when the bridge collapsed.
The construction of the bridge commenced in November 2014 and was completed on Feb. 1, 2025 with a total cost of PHP1.22 billion, including the bridge and approaches.
The contractor of the bridge is R.D. Interior, Jr. Construction.
The DPWH said Friday analysis on the cause of failure is underway.
The DPWH 2 (Cagayan Valley) also requested experts from the Bureau of Design and Bureau of Construction of the agency’s central office “to conduct further evaluation and assessment.”
Scandalous and horrific
The bridge incident is scandalous and horrific. Initial investigation showed that one of the reasons for the collapse is a passing 10-wheel truck which was carrying boulders. The weight of the truck with its cargo was way above the carrying capacity of the bridge. A photograph taken following the incident showed a sign made by the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) Region 2 that says the bridge is for use only by tricycles, motorcycles, jeepneys, cars and other light vehicles.
The government still needs to determine the real cause of the incident. Undersecretary Castro said it is within the local government unit’s mandate to assess the integrity of the entire structure of the bridge and coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Highways if there is a problem.
Many Filipinos expect from the government that those who are responsible for these disasters would really be punished—for their heads to roll, so to speak—or the Palace should never again use that cliche that only makes people cringe in anger knowing that nothing will come out of these investigations.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews #DPWH