Tarlac students cross river using inflatable bed

Ain’t no river wide enough for some students in Tarlac as they cross the Tarlac River using an inflatable bed pulled by young men after the Agana Bridge and the Aquino Bridge fell on August 2026.

In this viral video from Nathalie Salcedo, students wearing their school uniforms are seen boarding (or is it getting in bed?) an inflatable bed while being assisted by young men from a river bank in Tarlac City on 19 September 2026.

Salcedo, a college student from STI College Tarlac, recorded their plight as they try to go home from school in Tarlac City. Salcedo, a resident of Sapang Maragul, uploaded the video in her social media account to show their experience to others.

She said that she and her classmates wanted to try the inflatable bed river crossing that day after going to school, adding that they paid P50 each for the adventurous ride.

Both the Agana Bridge and Aquino Bridge are two vital, iconic bridges spanning the Tarlac River in Tarlac City. Both structures made major headlines following their collapse due to strong flood currents triggered by heavy rainfall from the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat).

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has allotted ₱300 million from the national coffers to rebuild the heavily damaged Aquino Bridge. His administration aims to construct two new parallel structures alongside both bridges to increase overall transit capacity in the near future.