By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Tarlac Rep. Maria Cristina Angeles said Thursday that she had repeatedly urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to address the structural foundations of two bridges in the province before both were brought down by heavy rains and strong river currents in recent days.
Angeles said she had raised the need to strengthen the 136-meter Agana Bridge and the 720-meter Aquino Bridge while she was still mayor, but claimed that her requests were not prioritized by previous DPWH officials.
“Through the years that I was mayor, I had long asked the DPWH to give sufficient attention to finding a solution to strengthen the foundations of these two bridges, but this was not prioritized by previous officials,” Angeles said.
The Aquino Bridge collapsed on Aug. 28, while a section of the Agana Bridge in Barangay Tibag, Tarlac City gave way the following day after strong river currents generated by persistent southwest monsoon, or habagat, rains undermined the structure.
Angeles said she again raised the need for funding after becoming a member of the House of Representatives, personally appealing to Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon during a recent budget hearing.
“As a newly seated congresswoman, I personally appealed to Secretary Vince Dizon during the recent budget hearing to provide sufficient funding for the bridges,” she said.
The Agana Bridge collapse triggered a fatal accident on Aug. 29 when a sport utility vehicle plunged into the Tarlac River. Five people were aboard the vehicle, with only one surviving.
Authorities recovered the remains of two passengers in Pangasinan, while two others remained missing.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Dizon visited Tarlac on Wednesday to inspect the damage and the construction of a Bailey bridge intended to restore access disrupted by the Agana Bridge collapse.
Marcos ordered the DPWH to accelerate construction of the alternate bridge and announced P300 million in assistance for the Tarlac City government.
Angeles, along with Tarlac City Mayor Susan Yap, Tarlac Gov. Christian Yap and other local officials, joined the President and Dizon during the inspection.
Angeles thanked Marcos and Dizon for personally visiting the affected area and responding to the damage.
“I am deeply grateful to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Secretary Vince for their personal visit, concern, solutions and immediate response,” she said.
She also called on Tarlac residents to refrain from politicizing the bridge collapses and instead allow the DPWH to determine and explain what caused the structures to fail.
“Instead, let us unite and help one another, and respect the DPWH as it provides the correct information about what happened,” Angeles said.
Tarlac was placed under a state of calamity on Aug. 30 following extensive damage caused by the southwest monsoon.
The bridge collapses came as widespread flooding affected Central Luzon and Metro Manila. Marcos said Wednesday that the government had failed for decades to implement a flood control master plan.
“We already have a master plan; it’s just never been executed,” Marcos said, adding that its implementation was only now beginning.
Since Aug. 1, some 9.4 million people, or 2.7 million families, across Luzon have been displaced by flooding caused by three storms and the prevailing southwest monsoon.
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