The Isabela Bridge – one of the key projects under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) – is at the center of controversy after an engineer who designed the structure spoke out about serious design flaws. According to the expert, if the issues are not thoroughly addressed, the consequences could be catastrophic.
According to the anonymous engineer, the Isabela Bridge has **alarming technical errors** that could directly affect the safety and longevity of the structure. The main problems include:
– **Inappropriate design load**: The bridge was built with the goal of serving a large traffic volume, but the load calculation shows signs of being inconsistent with reality. This could cause the bridge to deteriorate quickly, especially in harsh weather conditions and high traffic density.
– **Problematic material structure**: The report found that some of the materials used were not up to the highest standards. The use of poor quality steel and concrete can weaken the bridge’s load-bearing capacity.
– **Ineffective drainage system**: One of the most important factors in bridge design is the drainage system. However, the current design is said to be suboptimal, easily leading to **water stagnation, foundation erosion**, affecting the long-term stability of the structure.
– **Lack of calculation for earthquakes and climate change**: The Philippines is a country that often faces earthquakes and natural disasters. However, the design of the Isabela Bridge is accused of **not fully calculating these factors**, raising concerns that just a strong earthquake could put the structure in danger.
Immediately after this information was announced, **netizens and technical experts expressed outrage**. Many people questioned the quality of construction supervision as well as the responsibility of the parties involved.
Some bridge engineers have spoken out:
“If these design flaws are real, we cannot take them lightly. This is not just a technical issue but also a matter of human lives. The government needs to quickly step in and conduct a thorough inspection before it is too late.”*
Many people have compared this incident to previous poor quality projects, emphasizing that the government cannot allow a disaster like the bridge collapses in neighboring countries in the past.
In the face of increasingly harsh criticism, the Marcos Jr. administration will have to give a clear answer. Will they **investigate and adjust the design to ensure safety**, or will they deny these allegations and continue with the project as originally planned?
This is not only a test of the PBBM government’s **infrastructure management capacity** but also a test of transparency and accountability to the public.
People are closely following the developments of the incident. Will the Isabela Bridge become **a symbol of development**, or **a scandalous failure**? We will soon find out.
