The chairman of the House committee on transportation is asking Maritime Industry Authority Administrator Maria Elena Bautista to stop large barges transporting liquid petroleum gas from using the Pasig River and connected waterways.

Transportation committee chairman Rep. Monico Puentevella cited recent incidents on the Pasig River involving barges transporting highly flammable LPG crashing onto bridges.

Last September, a barge that transports LPG hit the Lambingan Bridge in Mandaluyong City while in October another scraped the Vargas Bridge in Pasig, said Puentevella.

Last year, a barge called the top of the Andrea Lorraine scraped the bottom of the Ayala Bridge in Manila, he said. The accident damaged the valves of the barge and causing a gas leakage, he said.

A spark could have caused a huge explosion, burn and damage the bridge and injure motorists, Puentevella said.

While experts claim the 500-ton barges were safe while loaded with LPG, they can be a hazard when empty as they float higher on the water and hit bridges. The barges have no engines are towed by tugboats.

Puentevella also cited a recent incident involving a empty barge on the Pasig River that crashed into the house along the banks.