PBBM: Heads will roll after Isabela bridge collapse

Last week, a section of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela collapsed – resulting in several injuries and damaged vehicles. The incident happened when a 102-ton dump truck carrying boulders passed on the 3rd span of the bridge. Since then, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has reached out to experts from the Bureau of Design and Bureau of Construction in the Central Office to conduct further evaluation and assessment of the collapse.

Following this incident, President Ferdinand R. “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr. said that he will make sure “heads will roll” over the recent bridge collapse. This was confirmed by Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro during the Radyo Pilipinas “Prangkahan Na!” program over the weekend.

“Nagkausap kami ni Pangulo kahapon regarding this. Ito talaga ay papa-imbestigahan. Kung may bahid man ng korapsyon sa nangyaring ito mula pa noong 2014 hanggang sa ngayon, kung meron man, hindi talaga puwedeng hindi managot. Iyan ang sagot ng Pangulo, lalo na kung may bahid ng korapsyon,” said Castro.

[The President and I talked yesterday regarding this. This is really going to be investigated. If there is any trace of corruption in what happened from 2014 until now, they must really be held accountable. That's the President's answer]

As for the ongoing investigation, Castro added that the local government unit (LGU) in Isabela is mandated to assess the bridge's integrity and coordinate with the DPWH if there is a problem.

Work on the the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge first began in November 2014 and was completed just recently on February 1, 2025, with a cost of PHP 1.22 billion. The contractor of the bridge is R.D. Interior, Jr. Construction. There is no word yet if the contractor has been contacted during the investigation.