EDITORIAL - Billions down the river

Four people remain missing after their vehicle plunged into the Tarlac River on Saturday night. The accident occurred after the Agana Bridge in Tarlac City broke apart on Saturday night.

Agana Bridge was serving as the alternative for the Ninoy Aquino Bridge also in Tarlac, a segment of which also collapsed on Friday night.

Apart from the possible loss of lives, the two accidents have cut off Tarlac City from direct access through main routes, with motorists needing to take a detour of about 40 kilometers through Gerona – an additional drive of about one hour.

The Department of Public Works and Highways is rushing to set up a Bailey bridge to restore access to Tarlac City. The DPWH blamed the collapse of the two bridges on incessant rains and the strong current of the Tarlac River.

Some residents, on the other hand, suspect that quarrying in the riverbed for sand and gravel could have weakened the foundations of the bridges.

The Aquino Bridge is only 25 years old, while the Agana Bridge, originally called the Calero Bridge, was constructed in the mid-1940s. But bridges are supposed to undergo periodic checks and reinforcement for structural integrity, which is done for bridges across the Pasig River in Metro Manila.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said strong currents laden with debris washed away a central concrete pier of the Aquino Bridge amid the heavy rainfall, causing a section of the bridge to fall.

Bridges collapsing in the rain and flooding weren’t the only problem. Dikes constructed around the Tarlac River were also destroyed by the torrential flooding. A dike that was finished only in February this year was destroyed by river currents on Aug. 17. DPWH inspectors reported that the dikes were constructed without using reinforced steel bars.

The two bridges in Tarlac are not temporary spans made of light materials; they are made of concrete and steel.

Public suspicion over substandard construction is inevitable following the collapse of the brand-new, P1.225-billion Sta. Maria-Cabagan bridge in Isabela province on Feb. 27. What has happened to this probe?

Since 2022, eight other bridges have collapsed, including a newly opened flyover in Iloilo City and another in Enrile, Cagayan that had not yet officially opened.

In other countries, there are bridges built over water that have endured for centuries. The DPWH and contractors can blame nature and supposedly overloaded trucks for falling bridges, but public suspicions are likely closer to the truth: that billions in people’s money have gone down the drain of corruption.