SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan 鈥� Incidents like the collapse of a bridge in Santa Maria town, Isabela will likely happen again if government officials responsible for such projects are not held accountable, former Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Friday.
In a press conference here with the senatorial candidates of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, Lacson said he did not want to preempt investigations on the collapse of the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge on Thursday, but he believed that the materials used for the bridge were likely substandard.
鈥淚big sabihin, siguro 鈥� I don鈥檛 want to preempt whatever investigation is being conducted or will be conducted 鈥� pero malamang sa hindi substandard 鈥榶ong materials,鈥� he said.
鈥淭his means, maybe 鈥� I don鈥檛 want to pre-empt whatever investigation is being conducted or will be conducted 鈥� but more likely the materials used were substandard.)
鈥淪o hanggat walang nakukulong ng mga responsable, walang nako-convict at nakukulong, talagang hindi ito matigil.聽 This is not the first time, and this won鈥檛 be the last na mangyayari 鈥榶an, at sana huwag maraming masasaktan o mamamatay sa aksidente gawa ng mga kalokohan na mga accountable at responsible sa mga ganoong klaseng infrastructure projects,鈥� he added.
(So as long as those responsible are not put to jail, as long as they are not convicted, these incidents would not stop.聽 This is not the first time, and this won鈥檛 be the last time that this happens.聽 I just hope that not many people would be hurt or die from the foolishness of the accountable and responsible officials behind these infrastructure projects.)
Reports showed that a portion of the bridge, which was just newly-retrofitted, collapsed, leading to four vehicles falling into the river.聽 No casualties were reported, but at least six individuals were injured.
READ: 4 cars fall into river as newly retrofitted bridge in Isabela collapses聽
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now assessing the cause and the extent of the damage to the bridge.
READ: DPWH: Assessment underway on cause of Isabela bridge collapse聽
The Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge issue was brought up after Lacson and other senatorial candidates were asked about how their pet legislation can help areas like Bulacan be more developed, should they win in the 2025 midterm elections.
Lacson mentioned his advocacy for budget reform, which strives for an equitable allocation of government funds to areas who may need it more.聽 The former senator then mentioned that the collapse of the bridge is an example of funds not being properly allocated or spent.
鈥淎ng aking pangunahing plataporma hindi lamang sa panahon ng kampanya, kun鈥檇i lalo kong ginagawa no鈥檔g ako鈥檡 nasa Senado na, 鈥榶ong budget reform, kasi hindi kumakalat 鈥榶ong biyaya ng national budget sa mga karatig-lugar ng Metro Manila at lalo na sa malalayo.聽 Nasabi ko na ito maraming beses na taon-taon, napakalaki ng hindi nagagamit, 鈥榶ong unused appropriations, pumapalo siya ng daang bilyon (kada taon),鈥� he said.
(My primary platform, not only during the campaign season, but something I also did when I was in the Senate, was budget reform, because the funds from the national budget are not distributed to areas near Metro Manila, and more so for far-flung areas.聽 I have said this so many times, we have a lot of unused appropriations, it goes around a hundred billion per year.)
鈥淗indi nagagamit o kung nagagamit man, mali ang paggamit.聽 May bumagsak na tulay do鈥檔 sa Santa Maria, Cabagan, Isabela.聽 Eh sa aking pananaw, eh bakit babagsak 鈥榶on?聽 Noon daw nagawa 鈥榶on, ang sinasabi ng mga taga roon, hindi talaga nadadaanan ng mga truck.聽 Ano鈥檔g saysay ng isang tulay kung hindi pwedeng daanan ng truck kun鈥檇i mga motorsiklo lamang?鈥� he asked.
(It is not being used, or it was used improperly.聽 A bridge collapsed in Santa Maria, Cabagan, Isabela.聽 In my opinion, why should that collapse?聽 People were saying that when it was built, trucks cannot pass by.聽 What is the value of a bridge if only motorcycles, and not trucks, can cross it?鈥� he asked.
It was not the first time that DPWH was hounded by questions regarding its infrastructure projects, which were feared to have used substandard materials and processes.聽 Last December, several potholes were discovered across the 3.17 kilometer Panguil Bay Bridge in Mindanao just after it was opened in September 鈥� or for a period of two months.
Top DWPH officials, however, gave assurance that they have been addressing the damage to keep the bridge safe for public use.
Construction for the bridge was said to have cost P7.37 billion.
READ: Mindanao鈥檚 longest bridge shows potholes 2 months after opening聽
No less than Misamis Occidental Governor Henry Oaminal Sr. has called on the DPWH to investigate the contractors, saying that a technical team from the province discovered that the construction failed to follow the original project specifications.