A newly opened bridge costing P1.2 billion in Isabela province collapsed Thursday night, leaving six – including a child — injured. Part of the bridge collapsed when a dump truck carrying boulders passed over it. The truck was estimated to be weighing 102 tons and was on its way from neighboring Kalinga to the northern part of the province.
The 990-meter Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge was only opened to vehicles last month, even as construction began more than 10 years earlier, authorities say.
Heads will roll, the Palace vowed. As they should. Bridges are supposed to connect one area to another to facilitate the movement of goods and people. People take passing bridges for granted – it is never assumed that one might collapse under the weight of any one vehicle using it.
The assumption is that bridges work, because they cost a lot of money, because professionals are supposed to have planned them, because the bidding process for them was transparent and above board, and their construction followed the specifications to the letter.
People crossing a bridge do so thinking about what they are going to do once they reach their destination on the other side. They hardly fret about whether the bridge is strong enough for the load, whether the right materials were used for its construction or whether irregularities attended any point of the process.
It is a given, not only that heads must roll, but that a full investigation be conducted on the reason for the collapse. It is not enough that someone be pointed to as the culprit behind the incident. More importantly, we have to make sure that no similar event happens in the future.
How many bridges are there in the Philippines, how many sets of plans, bidding documents, and bidders were included in each one? How may government offices, local government units, bids and awards committee members, and other officials are involved in such high-stakes decisions?
At the same time we wonder: How many other projects were riddled with the same flaws as the ones that determined the unfortunate collapse, and when will they show signs of these imperfections?
Every government project carries with it a presumption of regularity, which makes people confident about using the facility instead of questioning it.
The Isabela mishap was not an accident. It is the inescapable result of corruption, negligence, ineptitude, or a deadly combination of these. Let the consequent probe unearth the reasons, and may these findings be made public so they could serve as a guide on how ordinary taxpayers should demand accountability from their leaders. Bridges are supposed to connect people and facilitate trade and movement, not endanger citizens’ lives.
