Senate probe on Arroyo bridge anomaly resumes

Senate of the Philippines. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JESS YUSON

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday resumed its hearing on the alleged anomalous P111 billion “President’s Bridges Program (PBP)” entered into during the time of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The investigation was prompted by Senator Sergio Osmena III’s allegation that the Arroyo administration had entered into 14 anomalous contracts estimated at P111,942, 110,000  for the construction of bridges that were not fully utilized.

Senator Panfilo Lacson had described the program as “bridges to nowhere.”

Osmena showed pictures of one of the bridges in Banga, Aklan where only one-third of the bridge has been built. He said that during the rainy season, the river fills up and leaves the remaining two-third of the way filled with mud.

“What happened? Did they run out of money?” Osmena asked.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson said the bridge in the picture was the 203-meter long Guadalupe Bridge. He said the DPWH had provided the construction materials to the Local Government Units (LGU) because it was its responsibility to conduct the actual construction.

Singson added that the construction materials, consisting of modular bridges from foreign contractor Mabey and Johnson, were already provided to the LGU.

Osmena also questioned the process of how the projects were managed and under which office they were placed.

Singson said that at the time, the PBP was till under the Office of the President and was being implemented by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“Not all bridges were on national roads,” he pointed out.

Singson said the program was only transferred to the DPWH sometime in 2003.