Millions benefit from GMA’s bridges

Much water has passed under the bridges built under the President’s Bridge Program (PBP) but it is only now that the glare of publicity is being focused on them, thanks to the interest of some foreign media. Nevertheless, it is a tale that should have been told because of the enormous help that these bridges have extended to communities all over the Philippines, most of them poor and rural communities.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways, more than 1,500 bridges have been built under the PBP since the administration of former President Fidel V. Ramos. A total of 945 of these bridges have been completed during the administration of President Macapagal-Arroyo. Around 110 more bridges were nearing completion as of Dec. 15, 2005.

One can only imagine the relief and joy of millions in towns and rural communities all over the country who have become beneficiaries of such bridges. Throughout their lives, and those of generations before them, they have had to detour through hundreds of kilometers of forested and undeveloped areas or wade through deep and dangerous creeks and rivers to travel to market, schools, hospitals, churches and government offices because of the lack of bridges. Others had to cross old and deteriorating bridges placing their lives in grave danger, especially during floods.

Let us just cite one of the nearly 100 testimonials and letters written by local officials to the Office of the President, thanking GMA for constructing these bridges in their localities. Mayor Romeo O. dela Torre of the municipality of Sibagat, Agusan del Sur, in Mindanao, who is an engineer by profession, wrote: ‘Before the two Tulay ng Pangulo bridges were constructed in two remote barangays in Sibagat, residents in these areas, especially farmers, endured treacherous and difficult terrain and natural obstacles in crossing the rivers going to the main road or the town proper."

Now, according to Dela Torre, those residents, especially farmers, could now transport their farm products easily to the markets; their children could go to school faster and safely, while the sick could have easier access to hospitals or clinics in community centers. Moreover, government can easily provide much-needed aid and support to the formerly isolated communities, especially during typhoons, earthquakes and other emergencies, thus bringing government closer to people. Heavy equipment could pass these bridges because they are built of steel and not of impermanent materials, and create more development in the region.

Those letters and testimonials on the same subject harp on the same theme — the joy of the people served by these bridges because of faster economic development and greater social benefits. Of the achievements of the government, the accomplishments of the President’s Bridge Program deserve top billing because of the millions of people benefited and their long-range impact on the economy.

However, it seems that even this project has not been spared from becoming a political football. Political critics of the President with their own agenda have questioned the construction of these bridges, alleging overpricing. They have targeted for their criticism one of the foreign suppliers for the steel bridge materials, Mabey and Johnson, a London-based firm, which operates under a bilateral agreement between the Philippines and the United Kingdom. And yet, the DPWH certifies that among the four foreign suppliers of the bridge program, Mabey and Johnson have been collecting the lowest cost price. Mabey and Johnson is a reputable British firm expert in constructing steel bridge with state-of-the-art technology. It has received the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement, attesting to its prestige as a manufacturer and contractor of steel bridge materials.

To clear up the situation, the Office of the Ombudsman must expedite its investigation into the charges made against the bridge program. It must itself conduct an on-the-spot inspection of the bridges to determine reasonable cost and talk with the people in the vicinity to verify if they are really beneficial. The DPWH officials should also further clarify this matter to the public.The President’s Bridge Program is a project that benefits millions of Filipinos and should not be dismantled just because of politics.

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I received an e-mail from Arch. Francisco A. Padua Jr. It said, "It was heart-warming to read your commentary and analysis on FVR whom I consider a nationalist and a statesman.

And you are absolutely correct in your views that FVR is pivotal in creating ‘a one, national Philippines.’ And the contrary view would be catastrophic for our long-suffering country whose present opposition leaders I regard as simply hungry for power.

"Just like Filipinos who want the Philippines to move on, I want PGMA to prove to her detractors that she can become an effective leader. No, I’m not PGMA’s fan (as I had voted for the late Raul S. Roco, the best president that our country never had), but as an ordinary Filipino who loves this country. She’s still our President.

Letting her govern our country without making it difficult for her is the least we can do."

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I WAS INVITED by Ilde Remolona, a long-time family friend, to a Thursday Prayer Breakfast Club, a group of legislators, businessmen and women and civil society leaders that meet regularly at Club Filipino to discuss and pray over matters of national interest. Former Senator and DILG Secretary Joey Lina, president of the group, and George Drysdale expressed optimism that more people will be attending the breakfast prayer meetings. The group is of the belief that prayers make possible more wonders than this world dreams of.

Over coffee after the breakfast meeting, Ilde and I talked about the Social Security System, whose conception and birth he had personally helped nurture. He said the late Congressman Floro Crisologo of Ilocos Sur, had proposed the creation of a social security agency in 1954, but its implementation took place in 1957, after some defects in the law had been corrected.

In the ’50s, Ilde was doing organizing work among workers in Cotabato, Basilan and Gingoog, Mis. Oriental, as an officer of the Organization of the Mindanao Federation of Labor. He was one of ten labor leaders sent by the US government to observe labor and trade union work in Virginia and Oregon, and study the social security system in the US.

Upon Ilde’s return to the Philippines in 1957, he was appointed as commissioner, representing labor. Curiously, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) helped SSS get on its feet with a donation of P100,000 to pay for office space rent.

Ilde recalled that the first two years were not smooth sailing, as some employers were not happy about the compensation packages. Educational institutions like the University of Santo Tomas and Silliman University claimed that they were treating their employees better than the SSS. The Supreme Court, however, sustained the constitutionality of the new system.

Ilde holds Cora de la Paz in high esteem. "I’d really like to improve the SSS’s collection system," he said.

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My e-mail: [email protected]