[FILE PHOTO] A bridge in Pulangbato, Cebu Metropolis, has corroded and is threatening to break down. | Photograph Courtesy of the CDRRMO
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. vowed to finish the Pulangbato bridge by December this yr.
This follows a web site inspection that exposed not simply the stalled building however the life-threatening actuality confronted every day by locals, a lot of whom depend on a precarious bamboo footbridge to achieve faculties, houses, and neighboring barangays.
“Gusto nato nga mahuman na na; pinaskohan na nato sa mga tawo sa mountain barangay,” Archival mentioned in a current interview.
(We wish that to be accomplished; that might be our Christmas reward to the individuals within the mountain barangay.)
READ: Metropolis Corridor seeks emergency procurement for long-delayed Pulangbato Bridge
On July 13, Archival visited the realm simply hours after a 21-year-old hiker reportedly drowned at a close-by waterfall in Barangay Budlaan. The hiker was swept away by a swollen river throughout heavy rains. Three different hikers have been rescued after being stranded in a single day on boulders.
Archival mentioned the incident highlights broader public security issues stemming from inaccessible and unsafe routes in upland areas.
“Dili ta ganahan nga naa nasay sunod nga madisgrasya,” he mentioned.
(We don’t need that there might be an accident that may occur)
“Ang tubig musaka, maigo gyud ang bridge,” Archival mentioned.
(When the water rises, the bridge would actually be affected.)
READ: DPWH hastens San Juanico Bridge restore
Many years of delay, lives in danger
The strengthened deck girder bridge connecting Sitio Candarong to Tanay Street in Barangay Pulangbato was destroyed by Storm Odette in December 2021.
Regardless of a P24-million contract awarded in 2023, the mission has remained unfinished, a part of what Archival described as a 20-year downside for residents in Pulangbato and surrounding barangays like Pit-os, Guba, Agsungot, Lusaran, and Sirao.
The scenario worsened after the mission’s first contractor, SBD Builders Inc., failed to satisfy deadlines. As of July, work was solely 36.02 p.c full, far not on time and with a “unfavorable slippage” of 63.98 p.c, in line with barangay officers.
Archival cited the contractor’s lack of apparatus and poor efficiency, together with its controversial involvement within the Cebu Metropolis Sports activities Heart observe oval mission, as key causes for the contract’s termination.
Emergency declaration, sluggish progress
In response to persistent barangay calls, the Cebu Metropolis Council beforehand declared a state of emergency in Pulangbato on April 30, 2025, to fast-track the halted mission. An extra P28 million was additionally accepted to cowl rising materials prices, as solely P17 million remained from the unique funds.
Nonetheless, whereas the emergency declaration permits for quicker procurement, the Metropolis Council expressed reservations amid issues over accountability and previous controversies involving emergency funds beneath former Mayor Michael Rama.
As of this week, the mission stays idle. A brand new contractor has already been recognized via a rebidding course of, however no Discover to Proceed (NTP) has been issued.
“Ang akong tan-awon karon mao gyud ang NTP (What I’ll look into now could be the NTP),” Archival mentioned. He’s scheduled to satisfy with the Division of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) this week to make clear the timeline and make sure the contractor is able to mobilize.
READ: Constructing bridges for ‘One Visayas’
Accountability
The mayor’s renewed push displays rising public frustration over town authorities’s sluggish response to pressing infrastructure wants, particularly in disaster-prone and underserved upland areas.
Archival mentioned his administration is decided to intently monitor the mission shifting ahead.
“Two years na nga delay ang mission, pero kaning problema sa bridge kay 20 years na (That may be a 2 yr delay of the mission, however this downside of the bridge is already 20 years),” he mentioned. “Dili na puwede nga padayon ta’g hulat (It can’t be as a result of we’ll proceed to attend).”
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