DPWH urged: Inspect ‘Iconic Steel Bridge’ over safety concerns

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — An anti-corruption watchdog is demanding a comprehensive site inspection of the P125-million Makilo Bridge Replacement Project before its scheduled turnover to the government.

SAVE Kalinga Inc. petitioned the Upper Kalinga District Engineering Office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to review the structure, commonly referred to as the “Iconic Steel Bridge.”

Natividad P. Bayubay, president of SAVE Kalinga, said Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon or a designated representative should personally oversee the evaluation.

The group previously petitioned the DPWH central office regarding lingering questions over the project’s structural integrity, material quality, and construction delays.

“We want the bridge completed not just on time, but with the quality and safety that the people of Kalinga deserve,” Bayubay said, adding that the review is necessary to independently verify technical issues involving the bridge’s foundation and slope protection.

To recall, the structural controversy intensified after the old Makilo Bailey Bridge in Barangay Bugnay, Tinglayan, collapsed into a creek on 1 December 2025, following weeks of heavy rain, severing the primary transit route between Kalinga and Mountain Province.

According to SAVE Kalinga, although a public groundbreaking ceremony was held in November 2023 for a permanent 101.5-meter steel arch structure, no physical excavation or material delivery occurred at the site for two years.

The replacement project was funded in two phases and awarded to a joint-venture contractor.