Pres. Bongbong Marcos Reacts To Viral Collapse of Bridge Connecting Cabagan & Isabela
BONGBONG MARCOS – The President spoke on the collapse of the Cabagan-Isabela bridge that gathered different reactions online.
A few days ago, the online community was startled by the collapse of a newly-built bridge that connects Cabagan and Isabela. Four vehicles including a truck, two (2) SUVs, and a motorcycle were crossing the bridge when a part of it collapsed.
The collapse of the Cabagan-Isabela bridge threw the vehicles into the river below it. The incident happened at night around 8:00 p.m. At least six (6) people were left injured by the incident. Two (2) of the victims were children.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 2 said that a dump truck carrying boulders, with an estimated total weight of 102 tons has caused the collapsing of the bridge. Structural failure was regarding as the possible result of an excessive load that might have exceeded the capacity of the structure.
Despite that the weight of the truck is a key factor in the collapse of the Cabagan-Isabela bridge, the authorities conducted a thorough investigation. It required the experts rom the Bureau of Design and Bureau of Construction to look into the matter.
The collapse of the newly-built bridge took social media by storm leaving countless Filipinos disappointed. There were accusations that the materials used might have been substandard. Recently, Pres. Bongbong Marcos revealed his take on the matter.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Pres. Bongbong Marcos identified “design flaw” as the cause of the collapse of the Cabagan-Isabela bridge. He stressed that it should have been a suspension bridge.
“Ang ending nito, ang puno’t dulo nito, design flaw. It is a design flaw, mali yung design. The design is really weak dahil kung tutuusin ninyo, this is supposed to be a suspension bridge, nakasabit,” the President said.
According to Pres. Bongbong Marcos, the budget for the infrastructure was cut by the previous administration. Based on the report, the project’s original cost was at P1.8 billion and was adjusted to P900 million later on.
“Ito lang ang suspension bridge na nakita ko sa buong mundo na hindi kable at yan na mismo ang bumigay. Ayan, o, diyan ang bumigay yung bakal. Kung kable yan, hindi dapat bumigay yan,” he said.
Pres. Bongbong Marcos stressed that the construction was okay and the contractor followed the structure plan and even the specifications. However, based on the report, the Chief Executive believes that the specifications were faulty and there’s a problem with the design.
“So yung nagtitipid tayo, tinipid natin na P1.8 billion, useless. Ngayon babalik na naman tayo, gagastos na naman tayo,” Marcos Jr. said.
Following the collapse of the bridge, Showtime host Vice Ganda is one of those who reacted on the bridge collapse in Isabela.