Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan reiterated his belief that truck overloading was the key factor behind the sudden collapse of the newly constructed Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela earlier this year.
Speaking during a forum in San Juan City last Wednesday, Bonoan pointed to the dangers posed by overloaded vehicles, particularly on public infrastructure like bridges. “Hopefully, we can work together against these overloaded trucks using our bridges. Because it results to such an inconvenience,” he said in Filipino.
The 990-meter bridge, completed at a cost of ₱1.22 billion, gave way in February while three trucks were attempting to cross. Investigators revealed that while one truck made it across safely, the second—allegedly weighing over 100 tons—was caught in the collapse. This far exceeded the bridge’s design load capacity of 44 tons.
While Bonoan emphasized the urgent need to curb truck overloading, he acknowledged that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is also reviewing the project’s construction and design. The bridge, which began construction in 2014 and underwent retrofitting in 2018 and 2021, is now under scrutiny for potential faults in engineering or execution.
Bonoan questioned why the bridge took more than a decade to complete and confirmed that a special DPWH committee, led by Undersecretary Anne Sharlyne Lapuz, was formed to conduct a thorough investigation. The panel was authorized to summon DPWH staff familiar with the project and review all aspects tied to the collapse.
Although the committee was expected to submit its report by April 25, the DPWH has not yet made any findings public.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, meanwhile, criticized the department for what he described as its passive stance on substandard infrastructure projects. He called on the government to hold contractors accountable and prevent those responsible for defective work from securing further deals.
