Senator Aquilino Pimentel III has called for a Senate investigation into repeated bridge collapses, urging accountability from contractors, government officials, and other responsible parties.
The increasing number of bridge collapses is alarming, according to Pimentel.
“These have resulted in fatalities, injuries, and significant economic losses, raising urgent concerns over deficiencies in engineering and design, use of substandard materials, lack of proper oversight, and possible corruption in infrastructure projects,” he stressed in filing Senate Resolution No. 1319.
The senator cited the recent collapse of the newly opened Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela. The 990-meter bridge, completed on February 1, 2025, at a cost of P1.225 billion, collapsed on February 27 when an overloaded dump truck attempted to cross.
Pimentel has long called for a review of government-constructed bridges, pointing to multiple collapses as evidence of structural failures.
These include:
*Magapi Bridge, Balete, Batangas (October 28, 2024) – Collapsed due to strong flood currents and uprooted trees during Typhoon Kristine
*Bantilan Bridge, Batangas-Quezon Border (October 29, 2022) – Weakened by river currents and floods before collapsing
*Carlos Romulo Bridge, Bayambang, Pangasinan (October 20, 2022) – Failed due to overloaded dump trucks exceeding weight limits, injuring four people
*Borja Bridge, Bohol (June 16, 2022) – Collapsed under the weight of an overloaded 12-wheeler truck
*Loay-Clarin Bridge, Bohol (April 27, 2022) – Collapse resulted in four deaths and 18 injuries
*Kulafu Bridge, Davao City (February 18, 2022) – A bridge under construction collapsed, injuring three workers; and
*Steel Bridge, Majayjay, Laguna (January 29, 2022) – A truck fell 80 feet into a river when the bridge gave way.
Pimentel stressed that these incidents highlight the need for stricter compliance with engineering standards, design feasibility, maintenance protocols, and infrastructure budget allocation.IMT
