Design flaw blamed for bridge collapse
(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. slammed a "design flaw" which caused the recent collapse of the P1.2-billion Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela. Inaugurated on Feb. 1, the bridge collapsed on Feb. 27 after a dump truck passed over it. Six people were injured. "It is a design flaw, the design was wrong," Marcos said in a chance interview following his inspection of the structure on Thursday. "The design is really weak because this was supposed to be a suspension bridge. This is the only suspension bridge I've seen in any part of the world not being held up by a cable. If that was a cable, it wouldn't have caved in," he added in Filipino. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) earlier said the bridge was meant to hold up to 44 tons of weight and had been "overstressed" by the passage of heavy-load trucks prior to its collapse. Construction of the 990-meter bridge started in November 2014, and it was completed more than 10 years later. Marcos lamented how funding changes for its construction led to the use of substandard materials, which ultimately compromised the bridge's structural integrity. "The funding was supposed to be — the project cost was originally P1.8 billion. So, it was reduced to under P1 billion to save money. The detailed design was done, [but] the design is really weak," the Chief Executive said. Part of the contract which amounted to P600 million ended in 2018, but the bridge remained inaccessible due to design adjustments. In 2022, the bridge was retrofitted to comply with the updated design code of the DPWH. The retrofitting cost the government another P300 million and wrapped up last year. "Why did they do a refit? They should have already seen during the construction that it's weak," the President said. "We have no choice. We have to go back. The money we saved from the P1.8 billion is now useless. Now we have to go back. We will again spend big. We will replace the support. It's like we're building a new bridge," he added. Marcos said they will first "fix the problem" before holding those responsible for the oversight accountable. "Believe me, we will find out who is responsible," he said. At the House of Representatives, Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list, House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel called for a congressional inquiry on the collapsed bridge to identify the responsible parties and determine if corruption or negligence played a role in the incident. "Allegations of corruption, inadequate inspections, substandard materials and possible collusion between contractors and government officials have surfaced, as the DPWH has long been perceived as an agency plagued with corruption, as evidenced by multiple cases of infrastructure failures across the country," the lawmakers said in their resolution.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. slammed a "design flaw" which caused the recent collapse of the P1.2-billion Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela.
Inaugurated on Feb. 1, the bridge collapsed on Feb. 27 after a dump truck passed over it. Six people were injured.
"It is a design flaw, the design was wrong," Marcos said in a chance interview following his inspection of the structure on Thursday.
"The design is really weak because this was supposed to be a suspension bridge. This is the only suspension bridge I've seen in any part of the world not being held up by a cable. If that was a cable, it wouldn't have caved in," he added in Filipino.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) earlier said the bridge was meant to hold up to 44 tons of weight and had been "overstressed" by the passage of heavy-load trucks prior to its collapse.
Construction of the 990-meter bridge started in November 2014, and it was completed more than 10 years later.
Marcos lamented how funding changes for its construction led to the use of substandard materials, which ultimately compromised the bridge's structural integrity.
"The funding was supposed to be — the project cost was originally P1.8 billion. So, it was reduced to under P1 billion to save money. The detailed design was done, [but] the design is really weak," the Chief Executive said.
Part of the contract which amounted to P600 million ended in 2018, but the bridge remained inaccessible due to design adjustments.
In 2022, the bridge was retrofitted to comply with the updated design code of the DPWH.
The retrofitting cost the government another P300 million and wrapped up last year.
"Why did they do a refit? They should have already seen during the construction that it's weak," the President said.
"We have no choice. We have to go back. The money we saved from the P1.8 billion is now useless. Now we have to go back. We will again spend big. We will replace the support. It's like we're building a new bridge," he added.
Marcos said they will first "fix the problem" before holding those responsible for the oversight accountable.
"Believe me, we will find out who is responsible," he said.
At the House of Representatives, Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list, House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel called for a congressional inquiry on the collapsed bridge to identify the responsible parties and determine if corruption or negligence played a role in the incident.
"Allegations of corruption, inadequate inspections, substandard materials and possible collusion between contractors and government officials have surfaced, as the DPWH has long been perceived as an agency plagued with corruption, as evidenced by multiple cases of infrastructure failures across the country," the lawmakers said in their resolution.
