Manholes, collapsed bridges cost lives in Pampanga, Tarlac amid Habagat

A 25-year-old man died after falling into a flooded open manhole along Manguna Avenue in Angeles City, Pampanga.

According to Sunday's episode of "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho," Rein was walking home from the gym when he fell into the manhole during the flooding.

His body was later found in Barangay Santo Domingo, about three kilometers from where he fell.

Rein's partner, Darille, said he had been trying to book a ride home when the incident happened. He then became worried after Rein stopped sending updates.

"Hindi po typical sa kanya 'yun na hindi siya magsasabi sa akin kung nasaan siya," Darille said.

["It's not like him at all not to tell me where he is."]

"Hindi ko makontak 'yung phone niya. Nasa isip ko is baka naaksidente lang, na-hold up yung phone, nalaglag," he added.

["I can't reach his phone. I was thinking that maybe he was just in an accident, his phone was stolen, or he dropped it."]

Darille went to Pampanga and checked hospitals in case Rein had been admitted. He eventually found him at a hospital, where he learned that he had already died.

"Bakit, paano siya nalaglag sa manhole? Hindi siya naglalakad sa baha, hindi siya maglalakad sa ulan," he said.

["How did he end up falling into a manhole? He wasn't walking through floodwaters and rain"]

"Hirap na hirap ako ma-explain bakit nangyari 'yun sa kanya," he added.

["I'm finding it so hard to explain why that happened to him."]

The victim's mother, Francis, said their family wants those responsible for the manhole to be held accountable.

"Regardless of whether it was left unattended for an hour, the fact that they left a manhole where my child managed to slip through was still their responsibility, and they really have to be held accountable for that," she said.

The said manhole has since been covered and Francis questioned why the opening was only addressed after her son's death.

"So you were capable of doing it after all, then why did it have to come to the point where a body had to be recovered?" she said.

She added that the government has an obligation to ensure the safety of people using public roads.

Meanwhile, in Tarlac City, five people were aboard an SUV crossing Agana Bridge on August 29 when the bridge collapsed.

One passenger escaped and reached the side of the highway, while the SUV was carried away by the river.

Three passengers were later found dead, while one remained missing, according to authorities.

Agana Bridge was among two major bridges in Tarlac City damaged during the flooding. The Aquino Bridge also collapsed.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the national government would allocate P300 million for the repair of the damaged bridges in Tarlac City.

"This bridge has been standing since just after the war," Marcos said. "It is already 70 years old."

"There haven't been any problems until now. It is abundantly clear that this is the effect of climate change," he added. —Hermes Joy Tunac/MGP, GMA News