1 week ago
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Janvic Mateo - The Philippine Star
March 8, 2025 | 12:00am
President Marcos and DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan inspect the collapsed Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela March 6, 2025.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Denying that there was a “design flaw” as alleged by President Marcos, the engineer who designed the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge that recently collapsed in Isabela maintained that the design was compliant with the country’s guidelines for the construction of bridges.
In an interview with “Storycon” on One News yesterday, Albert Cañete said his firm’s design of the bridge was in line with the specifications set by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“In their department order, they mandated a (minimum) load limit of 27 tons for 10-wheeler (trucks),” he said, referring to the specifications set in the bridge code released in 2015.
“This load limit for bridges, this is what we use in the design,” he added.
In the case of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge, which has two lanes, Cañete said they designed it to accommodate up to 54 tons or the equivalent of two trucks weighing 27 tons each.
The DPWH in Cagayan Valley earlier reported that trucks weighing 102 tons caused a portion of the bridge to collapse.
Cañete declined to comment on Marcos’ earlier statement that the collapse was due to a “design flaw,” but he said that statements should be based on the results of a “forensic engineering investigation.”
“I am waiting for an investigation… after the investigation, that’s the proper time to give a statement,” he added.
The engineer said he decided to speak up on the matter as his name is already being dragged into the controversy even before the investigation is completed.
He also declined to comment on the actual construction of the bridge, including the materials used, saying he is not involved in the construction.
Cañete expressed support for amending the country’s bridge code, noting that newer trucks have higher carrying capacity.
“I recommended that when designing a bridge with a lot of trucks passing through, you should use an overload factor because the specified value is only the minimum,” he added.
Construction of the 990-meter bridge Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge started in November 2014 and was completed last Feb. 1. It had a total cost of P1.225 billion.
Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) plans to impose more stringent measures on the release of money for infrastructure projects following the collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge.
“We will make sure that moving forward, especially for the 2026 and 2027 budget, the DPWH and other infrastructure departments will plan well,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman told reporters.
“The planning, the crafting of the TOR (terms of reference), the design should be more stringent. We will make sure that they provide us with detailed engineering design of the projects,” she added. — Louise Maureen Simeon, Cecille Suerte Felipe
