MANILA, Philippines—President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Thursday that the collapse of the Sta. Maria-Cabagan Bridge in Isabela was due to a design flaw and that those responsible for its construction must be held accountable.

“Who is responsible is basically who made the design cause their design was poor. Look what happened,” Marcos stated while inspecting the site of the collapsed bridge.

Initially, the truck drivers who entered the  bridge, allegedly exceeding its weight capacity, were blamed for the collapse.

He noted that the original budget for the suspension bridge was P1.8 billion, but it was significantly reduced.

“Ang puno’t dulo nito design flaw. It is a design flaw, mali ‘yung design. Ang history kasi nito dapat ang funding nito was supposed to be P1.8 billion. Binawasan to under P1 billion para makamura,” he told reporters.

Marcos also pointed out that overloaded trucks contributed to the disaster. “Those trucks should never have been on the bridge,” he said, adding that stricter weight monitoring is necessary.

“We have to be more careful about monitoring ‘yung mga load. Kung 44 tons ang sinasabi, [tapos] sasakyan mo 200 plus tons, hindi nakapagtataka na ganito ang mangyayari,” he emphasized

The President was accompanied by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan and other local officials during his inspection of the site.

While calling for accountability, Marcos stressed the importance of addressing the root of the problem first. “I always have a saying: fix the problem, not the blame. Ayusin muna natin ‘yung problema. Believe me, we will find out who is responsible,” he said.

The bridge, spanning 990 meters with 12 arches and nine spans of pre-stressed concrete girders, was originally designed for light vehicles. It served as a key route connecting Cabagan and Sta. Maria to Enrile, Cagayan, and Tabuk City, Kalinga.

Construction began in November 2014 and was completed on February 1, 2025, with a final cost of P1.22 billion.