The engineer behind the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela, Alberto Cañete, has dismissed claims that a design flaw caused the bridge to collapse, insisting that the structure complied with the Bridge Code of the Philippines.
“Kung mali ang design, dun palang sa unang arko, babagsak na yun,” Cañete explained in a 24 Oras Weekend report, emphasizing that the bridge’s connections, not its design, failed.
Bridge Met Updated Standards
🔹 The bridge was originally designed under the 1997 Bridge Code but was built in 2014.
🔹 By 2015, new force requirements were introduced, prompting retrofitting of the first eight arches.
🔹 The bridge was designed to support more than the national 45,000-ton weight limit.
Overloading Identified as Likely Cause
Cañete revealed that the dump truck that caused the collapse weighed 102 tons, including its load—three times the 13.5-ton axle load limit.
“At that weight, it should have been an 18-wheeler, not a 10-wheeler,” he said.
The DPWH has also denied allegations that the bridge was substandard. While investigations continue, overloading is currently considered the main cause of the collapse.