ASEANEWS HEADLINE | MANILA: Newly opened P1.2 billion Isabela bridge collapses
Photo shows the collapsed portion of the bridge connecting the towns of Cabagan and Santa Maria in Isabela on February 27, 2025./ Photo from the MDRRMO in Cabagan
MANILA, Philippines — A bridge in Isabela built at a cost of P1.225 billion and which opened only last Feb. 1 collapsed on Thursday night, leaving six people injured and one missing.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will look into possible corruption linked to the collapse of a section of the newly completed bridge, an official said yesterday.
NBI public information office chief Roland Demetria confirmed that the agency’s office in Isabela City, Cagayan, will lead the probe. NBI-Ilagan chief Christopher Mesa declined to provide further details, citing the pending investigation.
The Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge collapsed on Thursday at around 8 p.m. when the third span of the structure, measuring 60 meters, gave way.
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According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office II, a dump truck carrying boulders with an estimated gross vehicle weight of 102 tons was passing over the bridge at the time of the incident.
The Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that six people, including a child, were injured and taken to hospital, while the truck driver remains missing.
The bridge, which spans 990 meters and consists of 12 arch bridge spans and nine spans of pre-stressed concrete girders, was constructed by R.D. Interior Jr. Construction.
Construction of the bridge began in November 2014. It was initially slated to be completed in 2019, but it underwent retrofitting and was officially completed on Feb. 1, at a total cost of P1.225 billion.
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DPWH officials said further analysis is being conducted to determine the cause of the collapse, with experts from the Bureau of Design and the Bureau of Construction assisting in the assessment.
Isabela Gov. Rodolfo Albano calmed speculations that the project was rigged with corruption and asked for a probe that will prove what really caused the bridge’s collapse.
“We all don’t want this to happen,” he said. “Let an investigation be launched and whoever is responsible must answer for it,” he stressed.
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DPWH assessment
The DPWH will assess the integrity of the entire structure of the newly reopened bridge in Isabela.
“The whole integrity of the structure should be looked into to ensure that this will not happen again,” Mathias Malenab, officer-in-charge of the DPWH Cagayan Valley, told “Storycon” on One News on Friday.
“After all the assessments… we will come up with findings and recommendations and from there, we will identify the reason for the collapse. The accountability and responsibility of everyone will also be determined,” he added in Filipino.
Malenab said the bridge was designed to have a capacity of 45 tons per vehicle, in compliance with existing policies.
He added the heavy truck’s passage resulted in a “concentrated load” that could have led to the collapse of a section of the bridge.
The DPWH official said their evaluation and assessment will also look at other factors, including the bridge’s design.
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Probe, jail time urged
Akbayan party-list first nominee Chel Diokno yesterday asked the DPWH to immediately investigate the collapse of the newly retrofitted Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela.
“I join the people of Isabela in calling on the DPWH to investigate the bridge collapse. I also urge the local government to provide the necessary assistance especially to the passengers of the four vehicles that were affected by this incident,” Diokno said.
“In the immediate, the DPWH must ensure there are alternate routes that vehicles can use,” he added.
“The bridge was constructed for almost a decade and the government spent more than one billion pesos for it. Those responsible for this incident must be held accountable,” Diokno said.
For his part, returning senator candidate Ping Lacson said there is a special place in jail for those behind the substandard construction of the Cabagan-Santa Maria bridge.
“This is not the first time and won’t be the last, unless those responsible get convicted and spend the rest of their lives in jail,” Lacson posted on X. — Artemio Dumlao, Jose Rodel Clapano, Janvic Mateo, Marc Jayson Cayabyab
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