Bohol town folk cash in on collapsed span

CORTES, Bohol—The collapse of a concrete bridge linking this poor municipality and neighboring Maribojoc following the 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Oct. 15 has caused bottlenecks in one of the busiest stretches of the national highway north of the provincial capital of Tagbilaran City.

But not everybody is complaining.

Residents of the fifth-class town (annual income: P15 million-P25 million) say the broken Abatan Bridge across the Abatan River has spawned livelihood opportunities for many of them.

Enterprising fishermen swarm the river daily to ferry commuters by banca, charging each of them P10 for a five-minute ride at a distance of some 90 meters. About 35 bancas were on the river on Monday morning.

“The boat services start at 5 a.m. until about 8 p.m.,” a vendor said in Cebuano.

The fishermen collect a P150 fee to transport a motorcyle, according to one barker.

Another explained that the steep price included loading and unloading services involving at least four people. He declined, to give his name and how much he earns daily other than saying the amount was just enough to tide his family over.

The vendor, who also refused to give his name, said he had set up a “store”—nothing more than a table shielded from the sun and rain by plastic rice sacks sewn together—to sell bottled water, soft drinks, dried eggs, candies, cigarettes and bread.

Commuters can actually take the boat rides from the Manga fish port in Tagbilaran to the Maribojoc port, but more prefer to cross the Abatan River, which drains into Maribojoc Bay.

Fishermen charge P40 for the Manga-Maribojoc ferry, which is more expensive especially since passengers have to take the tricycles from the fish port to the highway.

Jeepneys and multicabs servicing the Abatan-Tagbilaran route also benefit from the Abatan Bridge’s destruction. They charge P15 per passenger for the 12-kilometer trip.

The repair of the Abatan Bridge, which is one of the priorities set by President Aquino, is expected to be completed in a month’s time. Those who earn a few pesos more, however, welcome any delay.