PBBM vows to go after those responsible for the collapse of bridge in Isabela

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to go after those responsible for the collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela.

The bridge collapsed when three dump trucks carrying boulders weighing about 102 tons tried to cross the ramp.  It was opened last February 1, 2025, and collapsed 26 days later.

Marcos said the lowering of the project cost from P1.8 billion to less than P1 billion resulted in the flawed design of the bridge.

He said the budget allocated for the construction of the bridge was supposed to be P900 million, but the cost reached P1.2 billion because of the need to retrofit the structure. The retrofitting was done to address flaws detected during the construction phase.

“We have no choice. We have to go back. So we tried to lower the costs. Our savings from the (original project cost of) P1.8 billion (were) useless,” said President Marcos during an inspection. 

“The root cause of this is the design flaw,” added President Marcos, noting six persons were hurt in the incident.

The Chief Executive claimed that the acceptable load for the bridge is 44 tons, way lower than the weight of the trucks that passed over it. He cited the need for more careful monitoring of the load of vehicles passing over bridges.

The construction of the P1.225-billion bridge started in November 2014 during the term of the late President Benigno Aquino III. However, 90 percent of the construction work was finished during the Duterte administration, according to Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro.

Asked who he thought was liable for the collapse, Marcos said: “I always have a saying, fix the problem, not the blame. Let us fix the problem. Believe me, we will find out who is responsible.

“Who is responsible is basically who made the design (because) their design was poor. Look what happened. And then also, those trucks should never have been on the bridge,” he added.

Marcos said the lowering of the cost had forced the government to spend more on repairing the structure.

“Now we are going back. We will spend huge sums again… It’s like building a new bridge,” he said.

At a press briefing at Malacañang, Castro said the government would investigate to determine why the project was pursued despite weaknesses in the design.

“It won’t stop there. If someone from the present administration is liable, there would be accountability,” the Palace press officer said.

Castro also suggested that the national government and local governments inspect all bridges built during the time of Duterte.

Meanwhile, militant lawmakers belonging to the Makabayan bloc are pushing for an investigation on Cabagan-Santa Maria bridge collapse, in aid of legislation.

Through House Resolution 2249, Deputy Minority Leader France Castro, and Reps. Arlene Brosas of Gabriela and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan party list urged the House to dig deeper into the collapse of the bridge to “identify the responsible parties.

“It is alarming that a P1.22-billion bridge that was just retrofitted on Feb. 1 has already collapsed. This is not a simple accident or mere negligence. We need to examine the possibility of corruption and substandard materials,” Castro noted. 

The ACT Teachers party-list  representative called for a congressional inquiry to determine accountability at all levels, from the contractor RD Interior Jr. Construction to the officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

“The flagman should not be the only one blamed here. The contractor and DPWH officials who approved and supervised this project must be held accountable. If corruption and substandard materials are proven, they should be charged with plunder and economic sabotage,” she said.

“If the administration is truly serious that ‘heads will roll,’ not only should the small people be held accountable but also high officials who were negligent or benefited from possible anomalies,” Castro said.

Her colleague, former congressman Antonio Tinio, also called for a comprehensive probe into the incident.

Tinio pointed out that while authorities are currently focusing on the flagman who allowed the overloaded trucks to pass, the investigation must “extend to the quality of materials used and possible corruption in the procurement and construction processes.”