Published May 16, 2018, 7:07 PM
By Ellson Quismorio

The construction company that built the collapsed wooden bridge in Barangay Rio Hondo, Zamboanga City has owned up to its mistake but gave investigating congressmen a rather flimsy excuse for it Wednesday.

City Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar together with House of Representatives Committee on Housing and Urban Development Chairman Rep. Albee Benitez, Committee on Public Works and Highways Chairman Rep. Celso Lobregat, NHA Regional Director Engr. Al Indanan and other top officials of the city plunged into the seawater when the stilt catwalk they were passing collapsed during the site inspection of the NHA built Houses on Stilts for IDP’s in Barangay rio Hondo, Zamboanga City. (Bhong Simbajon)

Serving as the contractor for the bridge, which formed part of a local housing project for Zamboanga siege victims was Limestone Construction. It is based in Isabela City.

“The company accepts full responsibility on that, but we have also our reason for that sir,” Engineer Alhazen Sapie, Limestone technical consultant told the Housing and Urban Development Committee chaired by Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Albee Benitez.

“First and foremost, the footbridge was constructed about a year and a half ago. So it was already exposed to the elements,” Sapie said of the bridge, which was made over a murky body of water.

This water served as a landing spot for Benitez, fellow House member Zamboanga City 1st district Rep. Celso Lobregat, City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar and National Housing Authority (NHA) personnel when the structure collapsed during an inspection last week.