ROSAL SAYS P50-M MORE NEEDED: Bridge too far nears end Dizon sets 3-month goal

By MANUEL T. UGALDE

DUBBED as “the bridge too far” because of its nearly 20 years of delays and controversies, the unfinished Binitayan-Kilikao Bridge in Daraga, Albay has once again drawn public attention after Public Works and Highways Secretary Vincent Dizon vowed to complete the project within three months.

The Binitayan-Kilikao Bridge serves as the only access route to five villages situated within the seven-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone of Mayon Volcano. The area once hosted the Isarog Pulp and Paper Company in Barangay Kilikao, which employed thousands of workers before relocating its operations to Sorsogon.

The bridge project has been marred by a series of controversies involving three separate bridge constructions since 2006. Funding for the original project came from the Calamity Assistance and Rehabilitation Efforts (CARE) program, established during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo following the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Reming.

The CARE program was backed by then Senator Joker Arroyo, who strongly advocated for the release of P10 billion in calamity funds after the 2006 disaster that claimed nearly 2,000 lives in Albay due to lahar floods.

According to reports, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) initially allocated P110 million for a two-lane, 50-meter concrete bridge. However, only about 20 percent of the structure was reportedly completed despite allegations that the project had already been fully paid.

DPWH records reportedly showed that the project was awarded to Wilfredo “Boy” Mayor, a Daraga-based businessman identified in media reports as a known jueteng operator. Mayor was later assassinated along Ninoy Aquino Avenue near the airport several years after testifying in a Senate inquiry during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III.

In 2009, a second Binitayan-Kilikao Bridge, this time a two-lane steel structure, was constructed. However, it was eventually destroyed by strong floods.

Former journalist Elmer Bandol, a resident of Barangay Binitayan who lives near the bridge site, said the steel bridge collapsed after being battered by floodwaters.

Bandol said the second bridge was built during the tenure of then DPWH Regional Director Danilo Manalang, who also served as former President Arroyo’s campaign manager in Bicol.

The third and current bridge project is a four-lane steel bridge worth P250 million. According to reports, the structure was assembled using materials imported from China under a contract awarded to Hi-Tone Construction, a company linked to former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Christopher Co, brother of House Appropriations Committee Chairman Zaldy Co.

The project was originally scheduled for completion in October 2025 but reportedly stalled after the contractor allegedly abandoned the site due to funding issues. The stoppage coincided with the launch of the Infrastructure Committee Investigation (ICI) in September 2025, which uncovered alleged ghost flood-control projects worth billions of pesos across the country.

Residents said that before the bridge project, motorists and villagers relied on the Binitayan-Kilikao spillway to cross the Yawa River. The crossing often became impassable during heavy rains and flooding.

Residents also claimed that the absence of a permanent bridge contributed to the decision of the Isarog Pulp and Paper Company to relocate its operations, resulting in the loss of employment opportunities for many workers.

During a site inspection in April, Secretary Dizon, accompanied by Albay Governor Noel Rosal, directed DPWH Regional Director Kadaffy Tangol to complete the abandoned four-lane steel bridge project within three months.

Governor Rosal said the project would require at least an additional P50 million to fully complete the remaining works.

However, Albay Second District Engineer Jose Angelo Karagdag told reporters that meeting the target completion date remains uncertain. He said additional engineering works are still necessary before the bridge can be opened to the public.