Cayetano smells corruption in Isabela bridge collapse

If Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s suspicions are correct, corruption may have led to the loss of billions in public funds due to the collapse of the Cabagan-Santa Maria bridge in Isabela.

Presenting reports from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and a private construction firm before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Cayetano pointed out alleged defects in the bridge dating back to its construction.

During the investigation, the senator asserted that the collapse was not an accident. “It’s been constructed since 2014. It’s been inspected again and again and again, and hindi aksidente na bumagsak siya,” he said in frustration. He reiterated in an ambush interview, “The paperwork is more than enough to show that it wasn’t an accident.”

Cayetano revealed that all 12 spans of the bridge had defects—far more than the five initially admitted by the DPWH. “In my research, based on what you submitted, 12 spans have problems, not five. Every single span has a problem . . . I want to think it is the DPWH but this was ignored by the higher-ups,” he noted.

He cited reports from DPWH project engineers in 2018 and 2020 that flagged issues with the bridge, as well as a 2023 audit observation memorandum detailing multiple cracks and damage to the concrete arch. Additionally, an ‘as-built’ evaluation by Urban Engineers found 935 structural failures.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan acknowledged the senator’s findings, stating, “It would be appreciated it looks like since day one there’s already a problem.”

Cayetano also questioned why the DPWH—not the contractor—hired and paid for a third-party structural engineer to inspect the bridge, despite a DPWH memorandum stating that the contractor should cover this expense. DPWH Undersecretary Eugenio Pipo admitted that the department indeed shouldered the cost, leading Cayetano to remark, “The contractor is pretty special.”

While stopping short of blaming the contractor outright, Cayetano stressed, “I’m not saying at this point in time that it is the contractor’s fault . . . but it collapsed; so someone is surely at fault.”He concluded with a call for accountability: “I hope that April 25 is not just a submission date, but a date where the DPWH draws a red line that indicates you are only allowed up to here—if you cross it, we’ll go after you.” TRACY CABRERA