Info shows wood in solons’ fallen footbridge can’t stand saltwater —exec

The boardwalk that fell while lawmakers were  inspecting a housing project for displaced victims of the Zamboanga siege may have been built of wood not suitable for seaside conditions, a local official said on Thursday.

Jojo Sicat, an official at the Zamboanga City Planning Department, said the footbridge had already deteriorated.

"Apparently, yung initial findings na hindi pa namin na-validate o na-confirm, 'yung mga kahoy po are not... puwede pong tumagal sa salt water po sa dagat. Kumabaga, na-deteriorate na po," Sicat said.

Sicat said he had yet to confirm if the materials used were built "according to specification."

The boardwalk collapsed on Thursday just as two lawmakers and 13 others were crossing it.

It was the only way to access the stilt-house community built for residents displaced in the 2013 Zamboanga siege.

Zamboanga City Representative Celso Lobregat, Zamboanga Mayor Beng Climaco, and Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, who chairs the  House Committee on Housing and Urban Development, were among those who suffered minor injuries after falling into the water earlier on Thursday.

When asked why the boardwalk was still in use despite it being the subject of previous inspections to check its integrity, the government official said it was the only way to access the housing community.

"Heto po 'yung only access to that community po," Sicat said.

He also said the makeshift boardwalk had been repaired "immediately" after the incident.

The lawmakers and their companions were at the housing project for an inspection on the community, which Sicat said was funded and constructed by the National Housing Authority (NHA). — Margaret Claire Layug/MDM/NB, GMA News