By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday expressed optimism that the San Juanico Bridge would be fully operational by mid-2026, despite lamenting that money could have been saved “if proper maintenance was carried out” on the iconic bridge.
During an inspection of the bridge in Tacloban City, Leyte, the President noted that the retrofitting cost the government about P1.1 billion, which could have been avoided with regular inspection and maintenance of the vital infrastructure.
“We would not have to do any of this kung ‘yung every three years [ay] iniinspeksiyon, inaayos. Wala tayong gagastusin na kahit na ano. MOOE (Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses) lang ‘yon… Kasama ‘yan sa MOOE ng (DPWH Department of Public Works and Highways),” Marcos said.
He stressed that structural concerns on the bridge greatly disrupted economic activity in Eastern Visayas, affecting both businesses and communities that rely on the San Juanico Bridge as a main thoroughfare.
“That is what’s the most important lesson I think that we should all learn from this. Ang laking sagabal sa commerce dito sa Region 8 ang nangyari dito dahil sa nakita natin maraming sira dito sa San Juanico. At hindi… It’s not just convenience but it is cost,” Marcos said.
“I hope that this is a lesson to us and of all of those in the future whose responsibility will be to look after our thoroughfares, to always remember the experience of San Juanico Bridge—that if we had only maintained it, we would have saved a great deal of problems,” he added.
The 2.16-km San Juanico Bridge that connects Samar and Leyte provinces has been restricted to vehicles weighing up to 3 metric tons (MT) since May 2025 due to structural concerns, prompting the use of alternative routes and expanded roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) services to ensure the continuity of cargo transport between Samar and Leyte.
After several months of rehabilitation by DPWH, San Juanico Bridge has reopened to two-way traffic under a 15-ton load limit. Permanent strengthening works are likewise still being carried out.
“We are hoping for the total return of the bridge’s function to allow 33 tons two ways… hopefully by the middle of next year, third quarter of next year, fully functional na ito,” Marcos said.
The Tacloban City government, Marcos said, is also planning to open one-way traffic at night to allow trucks with a 30-ton load to cross the bridge.
“We will explore that possibility para naman mas maging magaan ang ginagawa ng mga transportation workers na tumatawid at mas mapapabilis,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President visited the National Maritime Polytechnic, also in Tacloban City, to inspect the institution’s newly acquired P52-million state-of-the-art simulators, including the Full Mission Bridge Simulator, the Liquid Cargo Handling Simulator, and an upgrade of the Engine Room Simulator to its latest software version.
These, along with the planned procurement of specialized training equipment and facility improvements worth P63 million, are aimed to address the critical gaps in the delivery of maritime courses to future seafarers.
-jpv
