The third span of this 990-meter Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Cabagan, Isabela, collapsed Thursday night. (VILLAMOR VISAYA JR.)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� President Ferdinand 鈥淏ongbong鈥� R. Marcos Jr. said that heads will roll if there is it is proven that corruption behind the retrofitting of the Cabagan 鈥� Santa Maria bidge in Isabela that collapsed on Thursday.聽
This was disclosed by Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro on Saturday, saying a probe will be launched into the incident.
鈥淣agkausap kami ni Pangulo kahapon regarding this. Ito talaga ay papaimbestigahan, okay. Kung may bahid man ng korapsyon sa nangyaring ito mula pa noong 2014 hanggang sa ngayon kung mayroon man, hindi talaga puwedeng hindi managot,鈥� Castro said in an interview on Radyo Pilipinas.聽
(I talked with the President regarding this yesterday. This will be investigated, okay. If there is corruption behind this from 2024 until now, heads will surely roll)
She also said that while the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)聽 had already launched a probe into the collapse, the incident is not an ordinary case and the evidence must be determined.聽
鈥溾�楶ag nalaman natin kung sino ang mayroong pagkakamali dito at may bahid nga ng korapsyon, kung may bahid ng korapsyon ay dapat may managot,鈥� Castro added.聽
(If we find out who is responsible for this and if there is corruption, if there is corruption, they should be held accoutable.)
Further, she emphasized that the local government units must properly assess the conditions of establishments and infrastructures as the President can鈥檛 do it alone.聽
鈥淗indi po trabaho ng Pangulo iyan, trabaho na po iyan ng local at kung may problema, saka kayo makipag-coordinate sa DPWH hindi po ba?鈥� she stated.聽
(It鈥檚 not the President鈥檚 job, it is the job of the local [government unit] and if there is a problem, then you will coordinate with the DPWH, right?)
DPWH 鈥� Cagayan Valley on Friday reported that around 8 p.m. of Thursday, the third span from the Cabagan side of the bridge collapsed after a dump truck loaded with boulders with calculated approximate gross vehicle weight of around 102 tons passed.
The construction of the bridge that began in November 2014 and was completed on February 1, 2025 was worth around P1.2 billion.