Deficient

There should be a way for structural engineers to do a forensic audit of the collapsed Cabangan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela. Such an audit should tell us how much this vital bridge really costs.

- ALEX MAGNO

The 990-meter bridge is reported as costing P1.2 billion. Most accounts indicate this sum was only for retrofitting of the structure. The bridge was opened to traffic only last month.

This has been a public works project of long standing. Work on this bridge began in 2014, more than a decade ago. Immediately, it required retrofitting.

In most advanced economies, public works contractors are required to issue a warranty for every construction project they undertake. Should the structure prove deficient, the contractor repaired it at his expense. Such a warranty for public works protects taxpayer money.

We do not have such a warranty. If we had, the great number of public works failures would have driven most contractors to bankruptcy. How many bridges have collapsed lately? And how many roads were washed away during floods?

Many of the structures damaged during natural calamities were found to have used substandard construction materials. I have seen damaged roads with only about six inches of cement and bridges that used severely undersized reinforcement bars. It is common knowledge that the leakage of public funds is highest among horizontal infra projects.