SAN JUANICO BRIDGE REHAB Mayor Romualdez suspects corruption due to lack of clarity on work details

by Miriam G. Desacada

Tacloban City  ( Leyte) Mayor Alfred Romualdez hinted at possible corruption taking place, as he called for a detailed clarification about the real condition and the rehabilitation of the San Juanico Bridge—linking Leyte and Samar islands—which the national government earlier set to cost P800 million but has been raised to P7 billion now.

“There is something going on na hindi kanais nais na corruption,” bluntly said the mayor, who is a cousin of both President BongBong Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.“From P800 million to P7 billion? Magkano ba talaga?” said Alfred.

 “Ako ay nalilito na rin because I feel that the public should be given all the information about the condition of the bridge,” he told local reporters in a press conference yesterday.Mayor Alfred expressed concerns over the San Juanico Bridge rehabilitation, questioning the sudden imposition of a 3-ton weight limit without sufficient notice or explanation. 

He demanded transparency and accountability from the national government regarding the bridge’s condition, repair costs, and duration of the rehabilitation work. Specifically, he wants to know who conducted the study recommending the weight limit and why the public wasn’t adequately informed.

 “That’s why I am calling for clarification of these issues,” he explained.The mayor propounded critical questions, apparently directed to the DPWH that is handling the bridge rehabilitation:

 “May sira ba talaga? Gaano katagal nilang gagawin yan? Sino ba ang gumawa ng study na ito? Bakit biglang bigla na lang, tapos binigyan kami ng 48 hours lang to close the bridge?”The mayor assailed the lack of transparency, saying, “These unanswered questions caused many to speculate that something bad is going on.”He added:

 “I feel that it is the duty of the national government to inform the public and tell them exactly who did the study, what the study was all about, what’s the extent of the damage? At gaano ba katagal matapos ito.” 

He criticized the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for not providing clear information about the bridge’s condition and the basis for the weight limitation.

 He questioned the technical basis, too. “I’ve been questioning the technical basis for the weight limit, given the bridge’s 52-year history of withstanding harsh weather and heavy loads,” he said The mayor said the reported defects of the bridge is actually not a new one, citing that, 20 years ago, the bridge also underwent repairs, but that “ample time was given to the public, almost months of preparations, kaya walang speculations noon.”Alfred said he felt that experts should be called in to look into the bridge and see how much it would really cost, and how the rehabilitation would be done. 

“Napaka-importante yan, kasi, ang unang lumalabas na estimate ay P800 million, ngayon ay P7B na, malaking amount yon, and even if you spend P7B, meron bang feasibility study? Was there careful analysis done?

”He further raised concerns about the increasing reliance on private consultants in government projects, wondering what role government agencies play in such cases. He said that, in a complex situation such as this, a second opinion from experts is needed for the public to better understand the condition of the bridge.

The DPWH was reported to have rejected a proposal to restore the bridge’s original 33-ton load capacity, opting for retrofitting works instead, which is expected to start soon and cost around ₱450 million.

Alfred also warned not to take this amount (P7B) as their reason for constructing a second bridge across the San Juanico Strait, but he admitted that a second bridge is actually needed here because the region is a vital artery of trade and commercial flow between Mindanao and Luzon.

 “We need two bridges,” he said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Regional Director Ma. Margarita Junia of the DPWH-Region 8 revealed to the media, in a separate interview, that the requested budget of P500 million had finally been downloaded to the NDRRMC to start the initial rehabilitation of the iconic San Juanico Bridge.

The NDRRMC had requested this allocation after the Eastern Visayas region was placed under a state of calamity in June this year, when the DPWH announced that the bridge had structural defects and could no longer accommodate heavy traffic.The allocated funds were intended to raise the bridge’s weight capacity to 10 tons by December this year, from its current 3-ton weight limit.What followed, after the DPWH warning, was the temporary closure of the bridge to heavy trucks and buses, and the imposition of limited access to vehicles weighing 3 tons and below, while repair works are being done under the bridge. 

Roll-on/roll-off barges were also utilized to transport heavy vehicles between the respective ports of Samar and Leyte, as an alternative route to continue their trade across the region into other places. —Miriam G. Desacada

Photo caption:

Personnel of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-8)  has laid out a catch-up plan to ensure that the San Juanico Bridge’s load limit is increased from the current 3 tons to 12–15 tons on or before the December 2025 target date.

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