Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Sunday, October 23 called for a safety review of all the bridges in the Philippines.
Pimentel made the call as he sought for a thorough investigation into what caused the collapse of some of these bridges including the collapse of a bridge in Loay, Bohol that killed four people in April this year.
The Senate minority leader also expressed his alarm over the recent collapse of a bridge in Bayambang, Pangasinan last Thursday.
“Are all our bridges still safe?” Pimentel asked in a statement.
“I am worried. The incidents are very alarming. They put doubt on the structural integrity and safety of all our bridges,” the senator said.
“It is time to evaluate the safety of our bridges,” he further said, citing the collapse of Borja Bridge in Catigbian, Kulafu River Bridge in Davao City; and an old bridge in Majayjay, Laguna.
Pimentel said the collapse of Clarin Bridge over Lobo River in Loay, Bohol that killed four people and injured 15 more should already have been a wake-up call for both the national and local governments.
“It should have triggered a safety review of our bridges by the DPWH,” Pimentel stressed, reffering to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“Whether it is a local bridge or a DPWH-constructed and -maintained bridge, the government should order a probe and a thorough and detailed assessment of the overall safety of our bridges led by the DPWH,” he added.
The lawmaker further said that a regular assessment of the country’s bridges by the DPWH could prevent any untoward incident from happening again.
Even if some of the bridges are maintained by local government units (LGUs), he said nothing prevents the DPWH from setting aside some funds from their budget to inspect and rehabilitate local bridges.
“Kung kailangan ng budget, isama sa General Appropriations Act (GAA). Buhay ang nakasalalay sa mga tulay na ito kaya hindi natin dapat ipagwalang bahala lang (If a budget is needed, include it in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Lives are at stake when we talk about these bridges so we should not take them for granted," Pimentel said.
Aside from this, the Senate chief fiscalizer said the probe should also look into the possible errors in the design, specifications, and construction of these bridges.
Pimentel had first raised the issue of the collapsing of bridges during the Senate committee on finance’s hearing on the proposed budget of the DPWH for 2023.