00:00Rushing or hurrying up on occasion takes up more time, just as getting cheap or trying
00:05to save on quality could ultimately cost more.
00:08A whole lot more as in the case of the Kabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela, which the President
00:13saw for himself earlier today and bewailed the bridge's flawed design as it would cost,
00:18along with its last budget, of P800 million pesos less from the original.
00:23As such, there will be hell to pay for those responsible for the collapse of the Kabagan-Santa
00:27Maria Bridge and its frail design that reeks of corruption and incompetence, as our Kenneth
00:32Paciente reports.
00:36Traces of the collapse that occurred last month can still be seen on the Kabagan-Santa
00:40Maria Bridge in the province of Isabela.
00:42This truck remains hanging on the damaged section of the bridge, while other vehicles
00:47and motorcycles are still stranded.
00:49Thus, residents, motorists, and commuters are temporarily using the overflow bridge.
00:55One of them is Teresito, who is disappointed over the failure of a supposedly well-maintained
00:59bridge daily, but then has to endure a rather longer and rough route instead.
01:09To determine the root cause of the incident, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. personally
01:14inspected the bridge, accompanied by representatives from DPWH Region 2, the Central Office, and
01:20local officials.
01:21Under his assessment, a design flaw or a problem in the design was identified as the reason
01:26why such a section of the bridge collapsed.
01:29He noted that although P1.8 billion was allocated for the project, a lower amount was actually
01:34disbursed and spent, ultimately affecting the bridge's design.
01:50He also pointed out that issues necessitating corrections had already been identified from
02:48the beginning.
02:53The President expressed regret as the bridge would now require extensive repairs, essentially
02:58bringing the project back to square one.
03:18However, the President assured that accountability will be exacted, but he also emphasized that
03:22the primary focus should be in addressing the issue and fixing the bridge first.
03:44From the part of the House of Representatives, the Makabayan Bloc also launched an investigation
03:49into the issue through House Resolution No. 2249.
03:53They aim to determine whether corruption or negligence played a role in the incident,
03:57And to keep such incident from happening again, the PALA suggests...
04:18From PTV Manila, Kenneth Paciente, Balitang Pambansa.
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