MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) approved P390 million to retrofit the P1.22 billion Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela province in northern Philippines due to “defects” with the agency committing to foot the bill even though the bridge is still under warranty. 

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who presided over a Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigation on Friday, March 14, on the collapse on February 27 of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge, criticized the DPWH for committing to pay for two retrofitting projects after defects such as “structural failures” and “cracks” were discovered in 2018. 

He also noted the combined retrofitting project cost of P390 million to address the defects was almost the same as the original project cost of P413 million in 2014 when the project started during the Benigno Aquino III administration, implying that it was too high even when inflation is considered.

DPWH Undersecretary for Regional Operations Eugenio Pipo Jr. told the committee there were two retrofitting contracts for the bridge: P275 million in May 2023, and P115 million in May 2024. Both retrofitting contracts were undertaken by the original contractor, RD Interior Jr. Construction (RDI). 

He said the retrofitting was approved after the bridge’s project engineer discovered in 2018 a “structural failure” on the concrete slab of span 8 of the 12-arch bridge, “some defects on the arch as well as the shaft that shifted.”

It was span 3 of the bridge that collapsed after a dump truck carrying boulders attempted to cross the bridge less than a month after it opened on February 2. 

The DPWH then contracted a third party to evaluate the “as-built condition” of the bridge in February 2020. The proposal to retrofit was approved two years later, and DPWH bidded it out instead of telling the contractor RDI to fix the defects and shoulder the cost.

RDI won the bidding for the retrofitting and implemented the recommendations, such as installing girders, of the third-party consultants starting in May 2022.

Asked why the DPWH approved the bidding when it had not determined who was at fault, Pipo said there was an “argument” at that time as to who was at fault and the third-party consultant did not identify who was liable.

When asked about the cracks found on the bridge, Ricardo Interior Jr. of RDI told the committee, “Yes, but they were minimal.”

Cayetano said the DPWH should have first determined who was at fault for the defects before bidding out the retroffiting works. 

“Shouldn’t the DPWH have determined that before bidding it out? The finding was may (there is a) problem, hindi niyo nilagay ano ang nag-cause ng problema, e may warranty ‘to e (you did not say what caused the problem when it was still under warranty),” he said.

Pipo said the bridge has a one-year warranty for work on defects and 15-year warranty for the entire structure. He added that he was not the one who approved the retrofitting contracts.

“Hindi dapat gobyerno magbayad nun. Dapat malaman muna sino may kasalanan. Whoever did that did not protect the DPWH and the Republic of the Philippines, the taxpayer,” Cayetano said.

Pipo said RDI has not yet been paid by the government for the retrofitting work, prompting Cayetano to say, “When you bid out the P275 million [for the first retrofitting], kung ‘di bumagsak yan, babayaran yung contractor (if it had not collapased, the contractor would have been paid).”

Cayetano also criticized the DPWH for not preventively suspending those involved in the project, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan for not attending the hearing, and for still not having a complete report on what caused the collapse. 

Heavier trucks

Meantime, the original structural designer of the bridge urged the government to upgrade the country’s roads and bridge as bigger and heavier trucks are now being used to transport goods. 

Angelo Cañete, president of Cañete Structural Investigation Incorporated, said the old dump trucks have a volume of 10 cubic meters for their load, while newer trucks, such as the dump truck that fell off the bridge, have a volume of 30 cubic meters.

Pipo said the truck owner claimed it was carrying only 21 tons, but he disputed this based on their calculation of the size of the truck. DWPH earlier estimated that the dump truck carrying boulders had a “calculated approximate gross vehicle weight of around 102 tons.” 

Cañete earlier said the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge had a 54-ton capacity (two 10-wheeler trucks carrying 27 tons on each side) of the bridge.

LTO Assistant Regional Director Manuel Baricaua told the committee they issued a show-cause order to the truck’s driver as well as its registered owner on why they should not be held liable, adding that the bridge, at the time of the collpase on February 27, was only good for light vehicles, and not for trucks. 

Cayetano said they want to determine whether the collapse of the bridge was due to faulty design, overloading, or substandard construction. He added that the collapsed bridge was now a “symbol of government failure.”

Pipo said the initial report they submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was just on the overloading of the truck and the “perceived failures,” but it was not yet conclusive.

The next hearing is set on Wednesday, March 19. – Rappler.com