Bridge concerns raised at board

CEBU, Philippines -The shanties, parking spaces and motorized bancas of unidentified persons posed as fishermen under the two bridges that connect the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu have raised concern among members of the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB).

The concern was brought up in yesterday’s meeting of MCBMB at the Capitol following the maritime detachment report of Regional Maritime Office-7 Chief Police S/Supt. Eduardo Serapio Garado.

Garado’s presentation showed shanties under the old bridge, both on the side of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, which can reportedly potentially affect the bridge once struck by fire.

“These shanties are unregulated, any fire or conflagration occurring in any side it could definitely have an affect on the structural integrity of the bridge,” he said.

Another security concern is the vehicles parked under the Mandaue side of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge. The area is a park and playground maintained by the city government of Mandaue.

“The local government or any authority concern should disallow parking of these vehicles in this area because it is a security risk,” Garado recommended.

This prompted the MCBMB chaired by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to pass a resolution asking the City of Mandaue to prohibit parking under the bridge.

Aside from the shanties and vehicle parking, Garado said the motorized bancas spotted under the bridge also need to be monitored

Aside from being hazards to navigation because they usually position near the bridge posts or the lane between the posts where ships pass, it is possible that these supposed fisherman may have negative intentions.

“We do not know if the person in bad intention you can bring your banca with the explosive and go near the bridge post and explosion could happen destroying the bridge post and will ultimately destroy the bridge,” Garado said. — (FREEMAN)