Repair of ‘killer bridge’ in Batangas City starts

The public works department has started repairing a bridge in Batangas City that collapsed during the height of typhoon Santi over the weekend, killing two people. Romulo Soriano was crossing the Bridge of Promise with his family inside their car when the infrastructure, located at Barangay Kumintang, collapsed, killing him and his three-year-old son Nicolo. His wife Malou survived the incident. It took authorities two days to find the victims' bodies. Victor Domingo, acting secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), ordered the swift reconstruction of the Bridge of Promise, which he said plays a key role in the transport of petroleum products to Metro Manila. "We are prioritizing the repair and rehabilitation of destroyed bridges so the people can move and transport goods, especially the Bridge of Promise, which is used by gas tankers to transport gasoline from the depot in Batangas to Metro Manila," he said. DPWH senior undersecretary Manuel Bonoan said there would be no fuel interruption in Metro Manila because fuel trucks could use alternate roads and bridges while the Bridge of Promise is under repair. "There are detour roads where people and fuel trucks can pass through,'' he said. The reconstruction of the bridge would cost about P76 million and would take about three months to complete. DPWH Region 4-A director Bonifacio Sequit said parts of the budget would be sourced from Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (pork barrel) for 2010. Aside from the Bridge of Promise, three other bridges, all in Majayjay town in Laguna, were also damaged by Santi, which exited the country Monday. - GMANews.TV