President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wanted accountability for the collapse of the P1.2-billion Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge in Isabela province that happened after it reopened following a costly retrofitting.

He directed the Department of Public Works and Highways and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to undertake an exhaustive investigation, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said.

A fuming Marcos vowed “heads will roll” if negligence or corruption is uncovered. The NBI will examine potential corruption linked to the bridge’s funding and construction.

“The President and I spoke about this yesterday. It will be investigated. If there is any trace of corruption in what happened starting from 2014, when construction started, until now, if there is any, someone should be held accountable,” she said.

Moreover, the President wanted an assessment of the prospect of more similar substandard projects amid the government’s description of Marcos’ term as the golden age of infrastructure.

“It’s probably not just one case, so we need to investigate this. But if we find out who is at fault here and there is a taint of corruption someone should be held accountable or jailed, this isn’t just an ordinary case, but we will go through the facts one by one,” she added.

On 27 February, a dump truck carrying boulders passed through Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge, halfway through the bridge, the structure collapsed injuring six individuals as well as crushing 2 SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and a scooter.

The driver of the dump truck initially fled the scene but has surrendered later on to authorities.

The bridge connects the towns of Cabagan and Santa Maria, replacing an older overflow bridge that frequently became impassable during floods.

Spanning 990 meters across the Cagayan River, the bridge features 12 arch sections and nine pre-stressed concrete girder spans and is designed to improve accessibility and safety for local residents and businesses.

Construction of the bridge started in November 2014 under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), with an initial budget of P639.6 million.

The project faced numerous delays and cost overruns and despite the adjustments, the bridge was completed a decade later, with a final cost of P1.225 billion, including its approaches.

Even before it collapsed, questions were raised over its prolonged timeline and escalating costs.

On the evening of 27 February, a section of the bridge — the third span of the arch — gave way under the weight of a heavily loaded dump truck carrying boulders, estimated at 102 tons.

The incident resulted in six injuries, including a minor with severe injuries, and caused four vehicles to fall into the riverbed below.

The bridge had not been formally declared fully safe for unrestricted public use at the time of the collapse, adding to concerns about its premature opening.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage and calls for accountability.

Common pattern

The collapse has reignited broader concerns about the state of infrastructure projects with critics pointing to a pattern of cost overruns, delays, and quality issues in government-funded developments.

The bridge underwent retrofitting in 2023 to strengthen the structure according to the updated design code of the DPWH.

The DPWH is investigating the incident and looking into possible scenarios such as overloading of the dump truck, improper use of materials during construction, contractor’s fault, and more.

It added that bridges across the country should be able to handle a weight of 45 tons.

The truck was reportedly carrying 102 tons of cargo, nearly double the government-prescribed weight.

The Palace aide noted that local government units are responsible for monitoring the progress of the construction of the bridges as well as repairs and structural integrity.

“That’s why there are leaders in the local government unit (LGU). That’s your obligation, you have a building official, right? That’s the one who should be checking,” she said.

She added that it is the LGU’s responsibility to coordinate with the DPWH in case of problems with structures such as bridges and highways.

DPWH regional director Mathias Malenab said the agency would go after those responsible for the bridge’s collapse.

“We will see what we can do with the bridge based on the output of our inspectors and evaluators, but we will come to the point where we would ask for a responsibility because they cannot get away with that,” Melenab assured.

“Because in public service, responsibility, accountability, and of course, transparency are always there,” he stressed.