Degamo calls for probe into collapse of bridge

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Negros Oriental Governor Roel Ragay Degamo has called for a thorough investigation into the collapse of a multi-million peso bridge, even before it was completed by a local contractor.

Degamo said it was a plain and simple "corrupted" project of the Department of Public Works and Highways although he refused to elaborate.

As an engineer by profession, the governor believed something was wrong with the computation of the strength of materials, because it was not able to sustain with its own weight.

Degamo had earlier lamented on what he considered DPWH's failure to provide his office with the basic information about ongoing projects in the province, including that Himampangon bridge project in Polo of Tanjay City, among others.

He said the local government code provides that local chief executives should be informed of projects undertaken by agencies in government in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

Even the Dumaguete City Planning Office was blinded of the construction of such bridge. It only knew about it when residents around the project site raised to the City Council their concerns for their safety.

City Planning and Development Officer Leonidis Caro disclosed that, as far as Dumaguete was concerned, they were never informed about the more than P20-million bridge project, located between Candau-ay and Cadawinonan.  

DPWH personnel merely arranged for a meeting with CPDO when the problem of road right-of-way cropped up, and resulted in the suspension of the construction in August last year.

Engineer Louie Tijing of bridge contractor PhilSouth, for his part, denied speculations about substandard materials that resulted in the collapse of the bridge. He explained that one of four girders had fallen because the scaffoldings where these rested collapsed due to the flashfloods.

He said there's no bridge to talk about yet because they were still building the girders that will support the bridge slab like a big beam and the girders were still resting on the scaffoldings were scoured away by the raging waters, causing the collapse.

Tijing declared it was an accident, caused by force of nature, because the scaffoldings-made of steel and coco lumber-were resting on the river bed. The fallen girder will be replaced with a new one, funding of which will be taken from the so-called Contractors All Risk Insurance, he said.   (FREEMAN)