‘DPWH should check safety of bridges’

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should undertake an exhaustive safety check of all bridges in the country one thorough enough to establish the cause of the collapse of some of them like what happened to a bridge in Loay town in Bohol that killed four people last April.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel made the call following the collapse of yet another bridge on Thursday – this time in Bayambang, Pangasinan – saying “it is time to evaluate the safety of our bridges.”

“Are all our bridges still safe?” he asked, citing similar incidents in the past: the Borja bridge in Catigbian town in Bohol; the Kulafu River bridge in Davao City; and an old bridge in Majayjay town, Laguna.

“I am worried. The incidents are very alarming. They put doubt on the structural integrity and safety of all our bridges,” Pimentel said.

The collapse of Clarin bridge over Lobo River in Loay, Bohol that killed four people and injured 15 more should have been a wake-up call for both the national and local governments and should have triggered a safety review of bridges by the DPWH, he added.

Pimentel wanted the probe to also determine possible errors in the design, specifications, and construction of these bridges.

He first raised the issue of collapsing of bridges during the Senate committee on finance’s hearing on the proposed budget of the DPWH for 2023.