Emergency repairs set for Calbiga Bridge

PALO, Leyte — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office in Eastern Visayas will move forward with the retrofitting of the damaged Calbiga Bridge in Samar despite the project’s exclusion from the 2026 national budget.

DPWH regional director Edgar Tabacon announced the plan during a consultative meeting with House Minority Leader Representative Marcelino Libanan and Eastern Samar Representative Christopher Sheen Gonzales.

Tabacon said the agency will utilize excess materials remaining from the recent upgrade of the San Juanico Bridge rather than returning those supplies to Cebu.

The initiative aims to restore the bridge’s capacity to accommodate vehicles weighing up to 30 gross tons.

Since 27 October 2025, the DPWH has maintained a 15-ton load limit on the structure due to structural weaknesses, effectively barring heavy trucks and wing vans transporting goods between Luzon and Mindanao.

The restriction has forced long-haul drivers to take a 250-kilometer detour through the Paranas–Taft, Taft–Borongan, Borongan–Buenavista, and Buenavista–Lawaan roads in Eastern Samar.

This detour has increased travel times by at least four hours and added between P10,000 to P15,000 in logistics costs per trip, according to the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tacloban-Leyte chapter.

Gonzales expressed concern over the rapid deterioration of national roads in Eastern Samar, citing that the detour route was not designed for the heavy traffic typical of the Maharlika Highway.

The Eastern Samar roads were constructed between 2010 and 2016 through a $434-million grant from the US Millennium Challenge Corporation. Gonzales said the influx of heavy trucks has caused numerous potholes, creating safety risks for local residents.