Senate blue ribbon body to probe bridge collapse in Isabela

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee is set to conduct a motu proprio investigation into the collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano was designated by his sister, Senate blue ribbon Chair Pia Cayetano, to lead the subcommittee hearing set on Friday.

READ: Makabayan bloc files House resolution to probe Isabela bridge collapse

READ: Isabela bridge collapse initially traced to ‘under-design’

In his Senate Resolution No. 1322, Cayetano asked for the Senate committee on accountability of public officers and investigations, also known as the blue ribbon committee, to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the collapse of the P1.2-billion bridge, which occurred less than a month after it was opened in February.

“Safe and resilient infrastructure is essential to the transformation of the nation ... The blue ribbon needs to look into how the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) deals with errant contractors to ensure that the country and the people are protected against fraudulent and abusive contractors,” he said in the resolution.

According to him, the hearing may also examine other problematic DPWH projects to highlight the systemic issue of alleged graft and corruption within the agency, which receives one of the largest portions of the 2025 national budget.

Factors to consider

On Feb. 27, the bridge linking the towns of Cabagan and Sta. Maria collapsed when a dump truck carrying quarried stones exceeding the 45-ton weight limit attempted to cross. At least six people were injured, and four vehicles were damaged in the incident.

The bridge had been completed just weeks earlier, on Feb. 1, 2025, at P1.22 billion.

Authorities are still looking into the cause of the incident. In addition to overloading, several other factors have been cited as potential causes of the collapse, including design and construction flaws.

Cayetano stressed that the government must address these issues as part of its broader effort “to fight corruption by not tolerating private contractors and their cohorts who bag big public infrastructure projects but deliver substandard, defective, or deficient projects, or services.”

He also noted in the Senate resolution that the incident raises “serious questions about the competence of the DPWH and private contractors, and directly erodes the trust reposed by the public in the agency and the government in general.”

(2025/03/14-05:04)