Tito Sotto Urges Responsible Spending After Isabela Bridge Failure
TITO SOTTO – The former Senate President emphasized that the collapse of the Sta. Maria-Cabagan Bridge in Isabela could have been avoided if government funds had been used properly.
Speaking at a press conference for the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate in Camarines Sur on March 7, Sotto underscored the importance of allocating public funds efficiently. “Yun ‘yung sinasabi namin na tamang paggamit ng pondo ng gobyerno, ilagay sa maayos,” he stated.
Sotto also expressed that if he and his allies return to the Senate, they will work to address such issues, including concerns related to the 2025 national budget. “What we can do is, when we are there, we can correct it. We can correct what happens in this 2025 budget,” he added.
Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attributed the bridge’s collapse to design flaws and cost-cutting during construction. On March 6, he personally visited the site to assess the damage.
To recall, six people, including two children, were injured when the newly constructed Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela collapsed on the night of February 27. At around 8 PM, four vehicles—a truck, two SUVs, and a motorcycle—were crossing when a section of the bridge gave way, sending them plunging into the river below.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 2 identified overloading as the primary cause, citing a dump truck carrying 102 tons of boulders—far beyond the bridge’s capacity. However, experts from the Bureau of Design and Bureau of Construction are conducting further investigations to determine if additional structural issues contributed to the collapse.
The bridge, a major infrastructure project that began construction in 2014, was only recently completed in February 2025 with a total budget of ₱1.2 billion. Notably, it had undergone retrofitting just months before the incident. The collapse has raised concerns over construction quality and government accountability. In response, authorities have restricted access to the bridge, allowing only smaller vehicles until further safety measures are implemented.