Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on Wednesday called for a comprehensive Senate inquiry into the condition and structural integrity of bridges nationwide.
His call came following the collapse of the 50-year-old Piggatan Bridge in Alcala, Cagayan – the second bridge collapse in the Cagayan Valley region in just eight months.
In February, the newly retrofitted Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela province collapsed, injuring six people while also leading to the fall of four cars into the Cagayan River.
Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) assessment revealed that the Sta. Maria-Cabagan bridge suffered from ‘under-design.’
Under-design refers to a situation where a structure, system or component is designed with insufficient capacity, strength or performance to meet expected loads, stresses, or operational requirements.
The Piggatan Bridge, a 74.7-meter steel structure built in 1974, collapsed on October 5, 2025, after reportedly being weighed down by three heavily loaded trucks carrying palay and corn.
The bridge, certified by the DPWH as being in ‘good overall condition’ just a year earlier, served as a vital link along the Maharlika Highway, connecting Alcala town to the rest of Cagayan province and Tuguegarao City.
The incident, which injured seven people, has paralyzed travel and trade in and out of Alcala, forcing trucks transporting agricultural goods to take longer and costlier routes.
Estrada’s Senate Resolution No. 153 urged the appropriate committee to conduct the inquiry, underscoring the need to review existing bridge designs and maintenance systems, and assess the economic and tourism impacts of such incidents.
He said the committee should recommend measures to safeguard public welfare and ensure the integrity of the country’s infrastructure.
‘Will we wait for another bridge to collapse before we take action? We must act swiftly to identify vulnerable structures, especially in agricultural regions,’ the senator said in a statement.
‘It’s not just the roads that get cut off during incidents involving bridge collapse. Transportation, safety, and livelihood of people are also affected,’ he noted.
Through the proposed inquiry, the Senate aims to identify aging and high-risk bridges that may require retrofitting or replacement, strengthen infrastructure audit systems, and reinforce government accountability in maintaining safe, reliable public structures.
Estrada urged the DPWH and other agencies to prioritize the retrofitting and replacement of aging bridges, and to ensure that new constructions meet modern standards capable of handling increased traffic and heavier loads.
He stressed that the recurrence of such incidents raises serious questions about the durability, inspection protocols, and design standards of public infrastructure. /apl