Leizel Lacastesantos , ABS-CBN News
Posted at Apr 27 2018 04:44 PM

MANILA—The National Housing Authority (NHA) on Wednesday blamed the contractor who worked on the faulty bridge in Zamboanga City for the project.

This as the House of Representatives Committee on Housing began an inquiry into the collapse of the bridge last month while officials were on it.

A footbridge that collapsed just as lawmakers and local officials were inspecting housing units is seen rebuilt a day after the incident. Leizel Lacastesantos, ABS-CBN News

Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat, Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, and NHA personnel fell into the waters of Sitio Hong Kong, Barangay Rio Hondo when the wooden footbridge gave way.

John Christopher Mahamud said private contractor Limestone Construction is still responsible for the project as the NHA has yet to accept it.

". . . It is the obligation of the contractor to check on the safeguard and the quality of project because this project has not yet been accepted by the NHA," he said.

The NHA, according to Mahamud, has yet to accept the project as the agency found deficiencies in the project as early as a year ago.

"We personally inspected the project site. We saw some deficiencies regarding the project site," he said.

Benitez, meanwhile, chastised the NHA, noting that it is the agency's responsibility to supervise the contractor's work.

Limestone Construction said it accepts full responsibility for the bridge's collapse.

"The company accepts full responsibility. The footbridge was constructed a year and half ago . . . it's already exposed to the elements," Al Hazen Sape, representative of the company said.

WHY WOOD?

Former NHA general manager Chito Cruz confirmed the project began in the previous administration and explained the choice of the materials.

He said costs compelled them to use wood instead of the original concrete design for the foundation of the houses on stilts.

Asked what could have caused the accident, he explained that the bridge was overloaded, as well as the fault of residents who removed its braces.

" 'Yun pong cross-bracing na supposed to strengthen the structure marami po doon reportedly missing either may kumukuha or may talagang may nagnanakaw," he said.

Benitez had previously bared that the bridge cost P12 million.