On Sunday, March 2, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT-Teachers) Representative France Castro called on Congress to investigate the partial collapse of a P1.22-billion bridge in Isabela, Cagayan Valley.
“Hindi ito simpleng aksidente o kapabayaan lamang. Kailangang silipin ang posibilidad ng corruption at substandard materials,” Castro said in a statement. The deputy minority floor leader also pointed out that the bridge only finished retrofitting on February 1.
A third of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge collapsed on the evening of Thursday, February 27, sending four vehicles into a dry section of the riverbank below. Eight were reportedly injured. The bridge first began construction in 2014, but took over 10 years to complete due to a lack of funding.
Authorities have pinned the collapse on one of the vehicles, a 102-ton dump truck carrying rocks, and the flagman who allegedly allowed the truck to cross the bridge despite its 40-ton weight limit. The truck driver reportedly ran away before surrendering to authorities on Friday, February 28.
Former ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should also look into the materials used to build the bridge. “We’ve seen multiple instances of newly built or rehabilitated infrastructure failing prematurely. This points to a systemic problem of corruption and lack of proper oversight in our infrastructure projects,” he said.
While the DPWH is also currently investigating the bridge’s contractor, RD Interior Junior Construction, and its budget, Senator Bong Revilla said on Saturday, March 1, that the contractor should be blacklisted and penalized. “Billions of funds are spent on public infrastructure and the minimum requirement should be structural integrity. Hindi maaari ang trabahong basta na,” he added. Revilla stressed that “heads must roll.”
Revilla, Tinio, and Castro are all running in the 2025 elections. While Castro and Revilla are aiming for senate seats, Tinio is seeking re-election as the ACT Teachers Party-list first nominee.
