2 days ago
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An aerial view shows damaged vehicles on a section of a collapsed bridge in Santa Maria town, Isabela province on February 28, 2025. Authorities said but six people were injured in the incident.
AFP / John Dimian
MANILA, Philippines — The newly opened Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela, which recently collapsed, is an arch bridge—not a suspension bridge as described by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge collapsed on the evening of February 27, injuring at least six people. It had just been opened to the public earlier in the same month.
Marcos inspected the collapsed bridge himself on March 6, where he was accompanied by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
In a media interview, as seen in a video posted by RTVM, Marcos said: "Dahil kung tutuusin ninyo, this is supposed to be a suspension bridge, nakasabit... Ito lang ang suspension bridge na nakita ko sa buong mundo na hindi kable."
(Because if you think about it, this is supposed to be a suspension bridge, hanging... This is the only suspension bridge I've seen in the world that doesn't use cables.)
After the inspection, Marcos said the collapse of the bridge was likely due to a design flaw.
RATING: This is false
Facts
In interviews with at least two news outlets, engineer Alberto Cañete, the original designer of the collapsed bridge, clarified that it was a tied arch bridge, not a suspension bridge.
“Tied arch 'yung tawag sa tulay na ‘yan, hindi yan suspension bridge, hindi 'yan... cable-stayed bridge, actually, 'yung dinedescribe niya, nila president,” Cañete said in an exclusive interview on News 5’s "Frontline."
(It is called a tied arch, that bridge, it is not a suspension bridge, it is not… the president is actually describing a cable-stayed bridge.)
However, Cañete acknowledged that officials on the ground may not have been fully informed about the bridge's actual design.
Why we fact-checked this
Marcos has often been quoted by various media outlets that the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge is a suspension bridge.
An investigation into the cause of the collapse is still ongoing. While the DPWH has launched its probe, the Senate is also conducting hearings to determine the cause of the failure.
Philstar.com has reached out to Malacañang and the DPWH for clarification on whether the president was misinformed. This story will be updated once they respond.
