Press Release
October 17, 2007

REVILLA TO DPWH ON TULLAHAN
DELAY: "DON'T BLAME IT ON THE RAIN"

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials tasked to oversee the reconstruction of the Tullahan Bridge are taking the public on a ride as they pass the buck to the rains and other factors over the delayed completion of the said bridge.

This was the reaction of Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. over the reported re-closure of the Tullahan Bridge as he urged DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to hold accountable the top officials of the DPWH-NCR for the blunder.

According to the senator, DPWH-NCR Director Josefino Rigor and Assistant Regional Director Angelito Twaño should be held accountable for the repeated delay in the completion of the P63-million bridge.

"They are making so many excuses. They should not blame the delay on the weather. Blame it on themselves," said Revilla, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works.

Last August 21, Revilla made an on-site inspection on the Tullahan Bridge and pointed out numerous flaws in its design and construction, particularly that its foundations were not buried deep enough, contrary to project specifications.

Despite the claims and reassurances of Twaño and Rigor at that time that the bridge will be opened between the last week of September and mid-October, Revilla already expressed serious doubts due to the large volume of work remaining and his observations regarding the bridge's design.

The senator now claims that the re-closure of Tullahan after only 24 hours of being open to public use, bolsters his doubts on the bridge's integrity and manner of construction.

Based on news reports, Twaño said the temporary closure of the bridge will allow workers to finish asphalting the base of the bridge in the next two days. He added that the "soft opening" of the bridge was meant to determine its weak points. "It's very clear that they are on a rush that's why they are using asphalt instead of concrete. They opened the Tullahan Bridge for a while just to appease public uproar and to make it appear that they had beaten the deadline. They are making a fool of themselves," Revilla said in disgust.

"As a result of their incompetence, the lives of commuters are inconvenienced and unnecessarily put at risk," the senator added.

The lawmaker stressed that the DPWH leadership should take immediate action against Rigor and Twaño to prove that the Department is not tolerating the bungles of his subordinates. Revilla has already written the President seeking the ouster of Rigor.

Revilla also expressed concern that the rush completion of the Tullahan Bridge further compromises its structural integrity and durability. "Asphalt breaks easily than concrete. After that, they will pile it again with asphalt with another budget. They should have used concrete to save cost and guarantee stability," he explained.

He also bared that an additional P12 million was spent for the bridge approach, aside from the P63-million actual cost of the structure. "It is very puzzling why the DPWH split this project into two contracts. One for the R.C. Ramos Construction for the bridge structure worth 63 million, and another contract for Ferdstar Construction for the bridge approach worth another 12 million," he further pointed out.

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