DPWH promises accountability after bridge collapse

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has vowed to hold those responsible for the partial collapse of the P1.2-billion Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge accountable.

The bridge, which partially collapsed on Thursday night, 27 February, had just been completed and opened to the public earlier this month. Construction began in November 2014 and took more than a decade to finish, with completion marked on 1 February.

In an interview with the Cagayan Provincial Information Office-TeleRadyo on Friday, 28 February, DPWH Regional Director Engr. Mathias Malenab assured the public that the agency will take action.

“We will see what we can do with the bridge based on the findings of our inspectors and evaluators, but we will also reach the point where we identify those responsible because they cannot escape accountability,” Malenab said in Filipino.

He emphasized that in public service, responsibility, accountability, and transparency must always be upheld.

The incident occurred around 8:00 PM on Thursday when a dump truck carrying approximately 87 tons of boulders passed over the bridge. The DPWH official noted that this weight far exceeded the maximum gross vehicle weight of 45 tons allowed under Republic Act 8794 or the Anti-Overloading Law.

Malenab also addressed concerns about the quality of the DPWH’s other projects in the region, assuring the public that the agency maintains high standards.

“There’s no room for doubt in our projects because we are ensuring they are built for the public’s safety and benefit,” he said.

He dismissed social media claims that no inspections were conducted during the bridge’s construction, explaining that field engineers monitored the project and followed the designated design and testing protocols.

Malenab further clarified that the retrofitting done on the bridge was not to change its maximum load capacity but to ensure its durability by aligning it with the updated national bridge design code released by the DPWH in 2015.

Meanwhile, the driver of the 10-wheeler truck suspected of causing the collapse voluntarily surrendered to the Cabagan Police Station on Friday morning, 28 February.

Cabagan Police Station Chief PMaj. Merwin Villanueva said in an interview with Radio Pilipinas-Tuguegarao that the driver fled the scene out of fear but later turned himself in.