Reconstructed Paliwan Bridge in Antique set for June 5 opening

ILOILO CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to open to traffic the reconstructed Paliwan Bridge, a vital infrastructure connecting the southern and northern parts of Antique.

The bridge connects Lau-an town in the north and Bugasong in the south. Two spans in Barangay Cubay North in Bugasong collapsed at the height of Typhoon Paeng in October 2022.

"The structural rehabilitation of the Paliwan Bridge is already complete. Ongoing is the painting of our railings and installation of pavement markings. As soon as we complete our painting, we will open it on June 5," Antique District Engineer Bernadeth Betsy Uy said during the Bagong Pilipinas townhall meeting at the DPWH regional office here Tuesday.

DPWH regional director Sanny Boy Oropel said the agency constructed three spans, from the previous two spans, using P70 million from the agency's quick response fund.

Other than the reconstruction, he said the DPWH is using another P300 million to construct a new bridge, which is already 77 percent completed.

Oropel said they hope to have the new bridge passable to traffic by the second week of August.

"We have constructed a new alignment. From the existing two lanes, it will become four lanes," he added.

The immediate rehabilitation of the Paliwan Bridge was ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., following his visit in October last year.

Marcos told DPWH- Western Visayas to make sure that bridge will be "durable and not sub-standard."

"Ang epektibo at mabisang pangangasiwa sa daloy ng produkto at serbisyo mula sa sakahan patungo sa merkado ay isa sa mga dapat nating pagtuunan. Parte po dito ang maayos na transportasyon (The effective and efficient management of the flow of products and services from farm-to-market road is one of the things we must address. Proper transportation is part of it)," Marcos said in his speech then. (PNA)