MMDA sends pontoons, boats to aid Tarlac river crossings

Emergency response equipment from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority arrived in Tarlac City on 26 September to help residents safely cross the Tarlac River following the partial collapse of Aquino Bridge during heavy monsoon rains last month.

The MMDA deployed pontoons, life vests and engine-powered rubber boats as construction and rehabilitation work continues on the damaged bridge.

The deployment followed a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after reports showed students and commuters using an airbed pulled by residents to cross the river.

Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos led the send-off of the equipment from the MMDA Motorcycle Riding Academy in Pasig City.

“The President saw the reports of residents there taking their makeshift river crossing. He instructed an immediate response while the Aquino Bridge is currently undergoing repairs,” Abalos said.

He thanked the MMDA for the quick mobilization of equipment and personnel.

MMDA Chair Don Artes said 50 pontoons or floaters will be deployed along the approximately 100-meter river crossing and secured with bamboo handrails.

The agency also sent 50 life vests and eight engine-operated rubber boats to provide residents with a safer alternative to makeshift airbed crossings.

“With the 100 meters river crossing, we will deploy 50 units of pontoons or floaters to serve as an alternative river crossing,” Artes said.

The MMDA will also deploy four trucks capable of operating in water up to six feet deep, along with 45 personnel from its Public Safety Office to help install the pontoon system.

“We will leave the pontoons in the area as long as necessary to give affected Tarlac City residents a safer way to cross the river,” Artes said.

Tarlac City Mayor Susan Yap, who inspected the equipment, said authorities are still awaiting test results to determine whether the bridge tiers remain structurally viable and whether steel structures can be installed.

Yap said the MMDA assistance would help residents while Aquino Bridge remains under repair, noting that the bridge also helps carry traffic between western Tarlac and Pangasinan.